Walking a New Path Part Two: March of War
by padawan lynne
Summary: Romance, politics and mystery surround Jedi Knight Harry Potter and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker as they learn how to balance Jedi duty against love in an increasingly unstable galaxy as rumours of secession and the possibility of all out war threatens th
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Harry Potter. They are owned by George Lucas and J K Rowling respectively. I am making no money from this and am writing purely for enjoyment.**

**March of War**

**Chapter One: ****Padawan Problems**

15 year old Anakin Skywalker and his best friend Jett Ayton were currently engaged in something that was both somewhat thrilling, and also highly illegal. The 2 Padawans had snuck out of the Temple and into one of the bars on Coruscant's lower levels. In order to get past the guard on the door, Anakin had employed a mind trick, and had then used the same skill to acquire rather a lot of Corellian rum which he was drinking like water.

"Anakin are you sure this was a good idea?" Jett asked. He was the same age as Anakin and hadn't really wanted to sneak out of the Temple in the first place. Now he was in a bar, and watching his best friend drinking like a fish, while worrying about the amount of trouble they were going to be in when they got home.

Anakin gave Jett an annoyed look and snapped, "Go home if you're worried about the consequences Jett. Besides, we're only having fun. Leave me in peace, the last mission was hard and I want to relax."

Jett sat back and fingered his comlink unhappily. He knew that one call to his Master, Ryan Wolfe would get him out of this situation, but he hesitated in making it, both because it would land his friend in deep trouble, and also because he didn't fancy being in trouble himself. He shook himself out of his thoughts as he saw Anakin bring a small bag out of his robe and put it on the table. A small amount of glittering powder spilled out of it and Anakin ignored it, instead taking a few more items out of the bag. Jett leaned forward, only to recoil in horror as he realized what the powder was.

"Anakin are you nuts!" he hissed. "That's glitterstim, the most addictive spice available in the galaxy. What the hell are you doing with it?" Jett was now seriously scared; spice possession was a serious offence, not to mention that it played havoc with a Jedi's connection to the Force. Jett knew that spice was the Republic equivalent of cocaine or heroin on Earth while the popular Death Sticks were the equivalent of cigarettes as Harry had explained that when asked about it one day.

'Oh I really wish I was at home' Jett groaned to himself. He looked towards the door as he felt a tremor in the Force, announcing the presence of another Jedi. He watched out of the corner of his eye, and saw the worst possible person come through the door.

Jedi Knight Harry Potter. Anakin's master and one of the few Knights that could actually beat Master Yoda in combat. How he managed this, neither of them would say, only that it involved little green trolls flying into walls at high speeds. Jett swallowed,Harry was well known around the Temple for his gentle, friendly nature, but if you got on his bad side he could have quite a cutting way with words. Several Padawans had discovered this side of the normally gentle Knight when they'd trapped Anakin and Jett in one of gardens when they were younger. Harry had come along to see why he could sense distress over his bond with Anakin and had caught the older Padawans in the act. The tongue lashing he gave them had made Jett very glad that he wasn't on the receiving end and he didn't wish to be on it now either. He noticed Harry scanning the crowd and sunk down in his seat, half wanting to hide and half wanting to be noticed.

Harry had been tracking the wayward pair for some time now. Jett's master, Ryan had come to him when Jett was discovered missing and Harry had agreed to go searching for them. A swift check of the security recordings showed that the two Padawans weren't in the Temple so the two masters had gone out looking for them. He felt the presence of his Padawan and looked over to the table where Jett and Anakin were sitting.

'Bingo' he thought as he wove his way through the crowd. As he got closer he noticed the bag on the table in front of Anakin, and also the powder that had spilt out of it earlier. Unlike Jett, Harry knew instantly what the powder was and his already dark mood darkened even further.

'Oh Padawan you and I are going to be having a LONG discussion about this when we get home' the Knight thought grimly. Reaching the table where the two errant Padawans sat, he grabbed hold of Anakin's braid and gave it a sharp tug to get his attention.

Anakin hadn't noticed the tremor in the Force when his master had entered the bar. Nor did he realize that Harry was standing right behind him. He was too drunk to notice much of anything really. He did notice however, when Jett went very quiet and still.

"Hey Jett, what's the problem, you look like you've seen… OW!" Anakin yelped as he felt his braid being tugged sharply. There was only one person in the galaxy who could yank his braid like that and he slowly turned round as he realized who was standing behind him.

Alcohol-clouded blue eyes met clear icy-green as Harry smiled grimly and said, "Hello Padawan."

**Author Note**

**Hey guys, here it is the first chapter of the second story. I apologise for the shortness but the chapter got to be too long so I made a decision as to where to leave it. Have fun and remember, the Force will be with you, always.**

**Padawan Lynne**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Consequences**

Anakin gulped as he continued to stare into his master's eyes, not able to break the fierce gaze no matter how hard he tried. Reaching along their bond he sensed anger, disgust, disappointment and… fear? Filing that away for later inquiry Anakin said quite possibly the worst thing he could have said in that situation.

Smiling at Harry, the Padawan said charmingly, "Hi Master, what are you doing here?" Harry's expression grew darker and he leaned forward to grab the bag off the table, putting it in a pocket in his robe. Glaring at Anakin again, he said quietly in a tone that both Padawans likened to durasteel sheathed in ice, "I never would have thought that you would do something so unbelievably stupid Padawan. I am extremely disappointed in you, not to mention utterly ashamed."

Switching his gaze to Jett, who shrank back under the dark glare, he said softly, "Your master is quite worried about your whereabouts Padawan Ayton. I will leave it up to you to explain tonight's exploits to him."

He then turned and walked out of the bar at a fast pace. He was still holding Anakin's braid like a leash so the Padawan had no choice but to follow or have his braid pulled out by the roots. Jett got up and walked silently out after his friend, his mind bringing up all sorts of horrible punishments that his master could use. He also felt deeply sorry for his friend; Harry looked like he was considering murdering Anakin.

Up in Heaven, three people were worriedly watching the scene as Harry stalked out of the bar, followed by the two Padawans.

"Uh oh, someone's in trouble" Sirius commented. James and Lily nodded, before Sirius continued, "One of you needs to go calm your son down otherwise he might very well send Anakin to join us and then where would the galaxy be?"

James and Lily looked at each other before James vanished, presumably to try and convince Harry that killing Anakin would be a very bad idea. After a few minutes though he returned, looking frustrated.

"He's too annoyed right now to listen to me, but I don't think he's planning on Padawan homicide although I think that Anakin believes he is, which isn't such a bad thing right at this moment."

Sirius nodded and commented, "Yeah, of all the stupid things to do. Well, we'd better leave Harry to it, he won't appreciate an audience, even if we are dead, and Anakin definitely won't. We can check back with him later."

While this conversation was happening, Harry had started his speeder and was flying back to the Temple, with the two Padawans in the back. The atmosphere was tense and the occupants of the vehicle were silent. Jett was too scared to talk; Anakin was feeling too miserable and sick to talk, and he was more than a little intimidated as well, while Harry was simply too angry to talk, not to mention that he needed to cool off before he dealt with the situation. When he reached the Temple he saw Ryan standing by the door. He stopped the speeder in the parking bay and as he got out he heard a slight whimper from Jett as he spotted his master waiting by the front door.

Harry turned round to face the two Padawans. His anger had cooled enough so that when he spoke to Anakin his tone had lost some of its edge though it was no less cold and authoritative.

"Home, now Padawan" he said as he stood aside to let Anakin past. Anakin stumbled slightly as he passed Harry, the alcohol catching up with him and making him less sure footed than he normally was. Harry steadied him until he could walk again and then gave him a slight push in the direction of the entrance.

He then turned back to Jett. He hadn't missed the whimper that had come from Jett's direction and saw that the Padawan was genuinely scared of the consequences of what had happened. He sighed and sat down in the front passenger seat, facing Jett.

"Jett, did you know what Anakin had planned tonight?" he questioned, gentling his tone as he saw that Jett was on the verge of tears. The Padawan in question shook his head and answered, "No sir, I didn't want to go out, when he came and asked me if I wanted to go out I thought he meant round the Temple. I couldn't leave when we were in the city, as we only had one speeder. I, I'm sorry."

Harry considered what he'd heard and then asked, "Why didn't you call your master, or me?" Jett shook his head. "I didn't want to be seen as a tattletale. And, well.." he trailed off and glanced at his master, and Harry understood.

"If you'd called one of us you'd have been in trouble too" he finished. Jett nodded miserably and Harry made a quick decision.

"Do you want me to explain the situation to your master?" he offered. Jett looked up at him, seeing a hint of Harry's normal gentle manner underneath the annoyance at Anakin. Finally he nodded. "Would you?" he almost whispered. Harry nodded and rose from the seat, holding out his hand. Jett took it and got out of the speeder, following Harry as he walked towards Ryan.

Jett stopped when he was almost at the door and watched as Harry spoke quietly with Ryan. After a few minutes he walked back to Jett and gave him a gentle push in the direction of his master.

"Go on, he won't kill you" he said softly. Jett looked up at him and blinked. "Thankyou Knight Potter. I'll, um, see you later?" Harry nodded before walking past the two Jedi and up the hall. He needed to see a certain Jedi Councilor before speaking to his Padawan otherwise things would not end well.

Luck was with him, as Mace was at home. His former master took one look at him before pulling Harry through the door and shutting it. Harry collapsed on the couch and Mace took a seat next to him.

"Trouble with Anakin?" Mace asked sympathetically. Harry ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I found him in a bar, drinking Corellian rum and he was about to start using glitterstim. Glitterstim for Force sake! It's the most addictive and lethal spice in the entire galaxy and he, oh hell."

Harry dropped his head in his hands before continuing, in a slightly muffled voice, "I couldn't help thinking about Daren when I saw Anakin tonight. Even now, I'm having trouble separating the two situations. I'm just happy I was able to stop Anakin before he started. What am I going to do?"

Mace looked at Harry. His former Padawan looked upset, angry, and scared. He had good reason to be scared; he'd lost one of his friends, Daren to a glitterstim addiction and he didn't want to lose Anakin the same way. Mace reached out and cautiously laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, not knowing whether Harry wanted the comfort or not.

Harry accepted the hand and then looked up. "I know the two situations are different but everything came flooding back when I found them tonight." Mace looked sharply at him and said, "Them?" Harry laughed hollowly. "My Padawan not only got himself drunk, he dragged his best friend, Padawan Ayton along with him although I have it on good authority that Padawan Ayton didn't drink any alcohol and was in fact completely unwilling. But my original question still stands Mace, what the hell do I do?"

Mace sat back and considered the situation. Anakin had landed himself in a lot of hot water that much was clear. It was also clear that Harry was struggling to keep the situation with Anakin and the past situation with his friend separate. Finally he said, "Meditate for a while Harry, clear your mind, and lock the memories away. You need a clear head to deal with Anakin and you can't do that with all those memories swirling round. What were you planning on doing with regards to what happened?"

Harry looked at his former master and smiled grimly. "I was planning on giving him a rather large reality check but I.." he trailed off and suddenly grinned. Mace gave him a worried look but Harry merely said, "Don't worry Mace I'm not crazy. I just thought of the perfect way to teach my Padawan a lesson he won't forget, and I've got you to thank for it."

Getting up he hugged Mace briefly before closing his eyes and breathing in and out a few times, clearing his mind and calming himself down. When he opened his eyes, they were clear and determined, and he was back in control of his emotions. Smiling in a slightly feral manner at his former master he opened the door before saying, "I'll see you later Mace, I have a Padawan that is in need of a hefty dose of reality."

He walked down the hallways to his home and opened the door. As he closed it he heard sounds from the fresher, and went to investigate. He stepped inside to find Anakin crouched in front of the toilet, busy returning all the excess alcohol he'd drunk.

Anakin was feeling miserable. He hadn't been in the apartment for more than 5 seconds before he ran for the fresher. He had then stayed there, vomiting continuously as his system informed him that it violently disagreed with the amount of alcohol he'd drunk. The Padawan now felt utterly miserable and very sorry for himself. He didn't notice his master enter the apartment, nor did he sense him standing behind him. He did notice though, when a pair of hands steadied him while he finished throwing up and then those same hands gave him a facecloth and a glass of water. Moving on automatic Anakin rinsed his mouth and wiped his face before realizing who had helped him.

He began to stammer apologies only to stop when Harry held up a hand. "Not now Padawan, you're sick and in no condition to listen to what I have to say. Go to bed and we'll discuss this latest escapade in the morning."

Anakin nodded miserably. He did feel unwell but he felt worse knowing that things were definitely not alright between him and his master. Harry watched Anakin leave the fresher, not needing their bond to know that his Padawan was feeling very sick, from a combination of excess alcohol and guilt. While he was still annoyed at Anakin's behavior he wasn't cold-hearted enough to ignore the fact that his apprentice was obviously suffering, and while it was self-inflicted, that was no excuse for him to ignore it. Thus, when Anakin had changed and was in bed, Harry went in to check on him, and found Anakin asleep but still looking like death warmed up. Using the Force, Harry was able to sense that he was not in life threatening danger, he was just ill. He tucked the blankets more firmly round Anakin, as he didn't want him getting cold before leaving the room. The hangover in the morning should teach Anakin about the dangers of overindulging in drink while Harry was now going to prepare the second part of the lesson – one that would hopefully shock some sense into his apprentice and that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

The next morning, Anakin groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt terrible, his eyes felt like they were filled with sand, his stomach was churning and he felt as if he was going to throw up again. He then covered his ears as he heard Harry's voice from outside his bedroom door.

"Up Padawan, breakfast is in five minutes." Anakin gave an inarticulate moan in response, the hangover he had magnified his master's voice to unbelievable levels, even though Harry had only spoken at normal volume. Harry heard the moan and smirked, it would seem that Anakin was already discovering the delights of the morning after effects of alcohol overindulgence. Whistling, he went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast, even though he was certain that he was going to be eating the majority of it.He glancedtowards the bedrooms as he heard stumbling footsteps and then as he heard the door of the fresher closing, he shook his head and placed a large glass of water on the table where Anakin normally sat. He then sat down and served himself, waiting for Anakin to make an appearance.

After a few minutes the Padawan came out to the common area, sitting down opposite his master. Harry looked up and raised an eyebrow, Anakin looked terrible. The 15 year old glanced at the food and then looked up at Harry.

"Still feeding me then" he said with an attempt at humour. His attempt fell flat as Harry looked at him bleakly before replying in a tone as flat as Anakin's joke, "My relatives used to not feed me for days on end whenever I did something they didn't like, I'm not about to do the same thing to you no matter how annoyed I may be."

Anakin looked down, before serving himself some food and beginning to eat. He didn't feel like eating but he knew he needed to, and Harry wouldn't let him leave without him eating something. He spotted the water and drank it almost in one go before getting up to refill it. Harry had finished his own meal by the time Anakin was halfway through his, drinking about 3 glasses of water in the process. Harry rose, and said, "Meet me in the common room when you're finished Anakin and we'll discuss what happened last night."

Anakin winced as he watched Harry walk away from him, from the tone of the Knight's voice there would be no way of talking himself out of trouble.

'Not that I've ever been able to before' he thought as he finished his breakfast and took the dishes to the sink in the kitchen before walking out to the common room. He stopped upon seeing the stone bowl on the small table with Harry standing behind it.

He took a hesitant step forward and Harry looked at him. In a too-calm, even tone of voice he said, "Sit down Anakin." Anakin looked at his master and then obeyed, wondering how he could present the events of the previous night so that they didn't look quite as bad. He couldn't think of any way to do itthough and resigned himself to a thorough chewing-out. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what kind of punishment Harry had in mind, the Knight had never hit him, not once, but the Padawan couldn't help wondering if this time he'd finally pushed Harry far enough that he would consider it.

Sitting across from him, Harry was able to easily read his Padawan's thoughts. He smirked slightly, there was no chance of him ever hitting Anakin, it wasn't his preferred style of discipline. He knew how sensitive Anakin was when it came to disappointing him, which was why often a reprimand was the only thing needed for the apprentice to correct his behavior. On occasions when something more serious was needed, Harry preferred to ground Anakin. This could be harsher than it sounded, as it included the fact that if the pair was assigned a mission while the Padawan was grounded, the Padawan would stay behind and the Master would go alone. This had only happened once over the last few years and Anakin had been very careful to get himself grounded as little as possible after that. That wasn't to say that he didn't get in trouble, he did, but not badly enough to force Harry use that method of discipline.

Now though, Harry looked at his apprentice coolly and said, "Right. How about we begin by you telling me, in detail, exactly what you did last night, beginning from the time you walked out the door."

Anakin met Harry's gaze and then dropped his eyes, preferring to look at the floor than having to see the disappointment in Harry's eyes. Harry's sharp, "Look at me Padawan" forced Anakin to keep his eyes on Harry's as he told his master the events of the previous night. He sat and watched as Harry's expression grew darker and darker until by the end Anakin wanted to run to the farthest corner of the galaxy and hide. Harry closed his eyes and took a couple of breaths, reining in his temper with an effort.

In a too-calm tone Harry said, "Let me get this straight. You told me you were going to study. Then you went out, proceeded to convince Padawan Ayton to accompany you, and went to a bar. There, you used a mind trick to gain entrance, and also acquire a large amount of alcohol. After drinking enough to make you seriously ill, you were about to start using glitterstim on top of that!"

Taking another breath Harry hissed out "What the HELL were you thinking last night Anakin!"

Anakin winced, the story had sounded so much better when he'd told it. Still, his defiant nature asserted itself and he muttered, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. What harm could it do?"

Harry clenched his teeth, now certain that his chosen method was right. Shoving memories of Daren aside he said mildly, "What harm could it do? How about you take a look in here and find the answer to your question. I don't think you'll like it though."

With that Harry pushed the Pensieve towards his Padawan. "Just stick a finger in it" he said, sticking his own finger in at the same time as Anakin did. Together the two were sucked into Harry's memory.

They landed outside the bar that Harry had found Anakin and Jett in the previous night. Anakin looked round, seeing a younger version of his master, as well as another Padawan that he didn't know coming up to them.

"_Harry come on we'll have fun" the other Padawan said. The younger version of Harry said, "Daren, we may be over 18 but we've got that test tomorrow. Let's go home, we can come back tomorrow."_

_Daren shook his head and headed into the bar. Harry hesitated and then followed. _Behind him, Anakin and the older version of Harry followed. They soon spotted the pair at a table near where Anakin and Jett had been sitting.

"_Look what I got Harry" Daren said enthusiastically. Looking over Daren's shoulder Anakin was able to see a small quantity of glitterstim. He drew back at the same time as the younger version of Harry moved forwards and grabbed it. _

"_Are you crazy Daren that could get you expelled" Harry snapped. Daren snorted and replied, "Don't be such a worrywart Harry, what harm could it do." _Anakin glanced at his master, shocked. He hadn't taken possible expulsion into consideration and was grateful that Harry was handling the matter himself rather than involving the Council. He also didn't miss the fact that he had said the same thing as Daren.

_Daren shook his head and grabbed the bag back, before beginning to smoke the spice. Harry retreated and stared in shock. After a while Daren looked up, his eyes glassy and he seemed out of it. "Hey Harry, I can see purple kaadus." Harry shook his head in dismay. _

"Watch" Harry said quietly to Anakin, who couldn't tear his eyes away from the memory.

_Daren was helped back to the Temple by Harry who was concerned for his friend. After a sleepless night Daren was ok and had come down off the high that the drug had given him. Things seemed alright but Harry was still worried._

_Two weeks later Daren was hooked on the drug. The initial use hadn't been just a one time thing; he had more stashed in his room and had secretly been using it, not telling Harry because Harry had threatened to tell either Mace or Daren's Master about that night. His behavior became more erratic as the addiction took its toll._

Anakin was watching in horror as the drug that he had thought was recreational slowly destroyed his master's friend. _It took just over 2 months for Daren to die from the spice addiction as the Padawan could not get through the day without a fix. He wasn't able to hide it from his master and he was quickly put into a drug rehab centre. However, the nature of the drug, as well as the fact that Daren was a Jedi, meant that when the withdrawal symptoms hit, they were twice as severe as they would normally be. Daren's body simply couldn't cope and he died in the rehab centre, with his master, Harry and Mace present. As the younger version of Harry broke down in tears as his friend died, the older version, as well as Anakin came out of the Pensieve._

Harry looked at Anakin keenly, needing to know if the memory had had any impact at all. It seemed to have had some effect as his Padawan was shaking and wide eyed, his breathing was short and fast, as if he was holding back tears. Slowly, Anakin looked at Harry.

"Master, can I have that spice back?" he asked. Harry looked at him, before asking in disbelief, "Did that memory have NO effect whatsoever Anakin?" Anakin shook his head. "Yes Master it did. Please, give it to me."

Harry looked at him, and then slowly held it out. Anakin put the bag on the table and then drew his lightsaber and activated it. After activating it he thrust the point of it into the bag. The spice smoked, and the bag caught fire. When the spice was totally destroyed, Anakin shut off the weapon and then sank back down onto his chair. In a choked voice he said, "I'm so sorry Master, I didn't realize what could happen. I'll never touch it again I promise."

Harry looked at him searchingly, and then nodded. "I believe you Padawan but there's something I need to know. Was that your first time?" Anakin looked at his master and nodded wordlessly. He looked into Harry's eyes, hoping that his master had forgiven him.

Reading his mind, Harry said, "I'm still disappointed with what you did Anakin, and you're not off the hook yet, but yes I do forgive you. You'll have to earn back my trust though."

That statement hit the Padawan hard, he was happy that he was forgiven but the loss of his master's trust was a sore blow. Harry didn't trust easily and once that trust was gone, it was difficult to gain back. Finally he unstuck his vocal cords and asked, "What do you mean, I'm not off the hook yet?"

Harry looked at him steadily before replying, "You lied to me, you pressured your friend into doing what both you and he knew was wrong, you misused the Force by mind-tricking the guard and the bartender and you had an illegal drug in your possession. If you weren't a Jedi you'd be in jail right now. You will be grounded for the next 2 months, during which you will be doing a lot of meditation on the reasons why using the Force in the way you did is not allowed, as well as on the Jedi Code, specifically the part about Padawans not being allowed to lie to their Masters. You will also be apologizing to Master Wolfe for dragging Jett into your misadventure.

Anakin's face fell further and further as he listened. Meditation was his least favorite activity, he found it difficult to sit still and quiet his mind, he preferred what Harry called active meditation where his mind was cleared and focused through movement. He also dreaded facing Ryan; the other Master was reputed to have a tongue almost as sharp as Harry's and he didn't look forward to the meeting. He dragged his attention back as Harry continued,

"When you have free time, you will also be researching the effects of glitterstim, and the reasons why it is an illegal drug. I expect that research to be as thorough as possible, if you want to visit that rehab centre to talk with some of the healers there then I can certainly arrange it."

Anakin shook his head. "I won't need that Master. Um, how am I going to earn back your trust?"

Harry gave his apprentice a cold look and answered, "You will have my trust back when you've proven yourself trustworthy. Right now I don't trust you to be alone outside the Temple. It is for that reason that you will wear this for the next two months."

As he held up a small tracking device, Anakin groaned. The device was one that meant that he had to actively check in by pressing a button on the side. The device would transmit his location and the time of transmission to a datapad in their apartment. He looked at it with distaste and Harry's gaze softened slightly.

"I didn't want to resort to this but you've not given me much of a choice Anakin. I'm setting the approved location to be the Temple. If you have a class trip that takes you outside the Temple in the next 2 months you will tell me when it is and where and I will know that you're not out of bounds on that day. I know when your classes are so we'll set the timer to check in after each class and once classes finish, then every half hour after that."

Harry's reasoning for the time between check ins was that half an hour did not give Anakin time to slip out of the Temple and round the city and get back in before the time was up. Harry handed the tracker to Anakin who immediately stuck it in a pouch on his belt. There was no reason for him to outwardly display the fact that he'd majorly screwed up, and he wanted to keep the teasing to a minimum.

Over the next two months, Anakin kept to the restrictions that Harry had imposed on him, faithfully checking in after each class and every half hour after that. The tracker was turned off once Anakin was asleep at night, because Harry had set the door to chime a soft alarm if it was opened again once both of them were in bed. Anakin didn't know this and it was a way for Harry to see if Anakin would try and slip out at night. He found his trust in his Padawan increasing over the months as Anakin never once failed to do what he had been told. The report on glitterstim had indeed been thorough, a little too thorough for Harry's tastes. He hadn't expected a 20 page report after all, he'd been expecting a maximum of 10 or 12. The apology to Ryan had been carried off with none of Anakin's usual charm, the humility and sincere regret that Anakin had displayed had managed to make Ryan warm up to him a lot sooner than Harry expected.

He knew that Anakin was hurt by his lack of trust but by making the apprentice earn it back he knew that Anakin would appreciate it all the more once he had it again. Harry intended to tell him that he'd regained his trust at the end of the two months but there was no reason to let him know that early. It would undermine the effectiveness of the discipline.

The end of the two months came and Anakin came into their apartment and dropped his datapads on the couch, before sitting down and fidgeting slightly. Harry looked up in amusement, knowing full well why Anakin was fidgety but not wanting to acknowledge it yet.

"Do you have something you want to say Padawan?" he asked calmly. Anakin looked at him and then said, "Um, yes, I'd like to apologise once again for my stupid behavior 2 months ago and I'll never repeat it, ever again."

Harry smiled before asking, "If you could go back in time and do things again, would you repeat your previous actions?" Anakin shook his head vehemently.

"No Master, I'd clonk my younger self over the head with my lightsaber before I'd let myself do that."

Now Harry grinned outright. "You might be interested to know that I was very close to doing exactly that Anakin. Nevertheless, you've handled yourself well over the last two months and done exactly as I wanted. I think you've proven that I can trust you again. Hand over that tracker and I'll disable it."

Anakin handed over the tracker and watched as Harry deactivated it in front of him before putting both tracker and datapad back in a drawer. Sitting back down Harry locked eyes with his apprentice and spoke quietly.

"You might not believe this but I didn't like the last two months anymore than you did. I love you, and I didn't want to lose you like Daren. That's the reason I was so hard on you. I do trust you Anakin."

Anakin was extremely relieved to see the normal warmth and affection present in Harry's eyes when he looked at him. He hadn't liked the coldness over the previous months and it had hurt more than he'd been willing to admit. Hearing that he had indeed regained Harry's trust made him all the more determined to never lose it again. He swallowed before saying,

"Thankyou Master. Um, did you stop loving me over the last two months?" He was caught by surprise when Harry yanked him forward and trapped him in a fierce hug.

Speaking quietly and forcefully Harry responded, "No. I have never stopped loving you. You disappointed me greatly but I never stopped loving you. If you want proof of that then how about this."

Harry stopped for a minute before continuing, "You could smash the Jedi Code into subatomic particles, burn down the Temple and throw the remains into a black hole, or even join the Sith and I would not stop loving you." Drawing back to give Anakin a crooked grin he finished with, "I wouldn't be very happy with you if you did that but I would still love you. Nothing that you do will ever change that."

Anakin looked relieved. "I'm glad of that Master; I didn't want to think that I'd lost the closest thing that I'll ever have to a father." Harry snorted. "Well that's nice Anakin because I consider you to be my son, maybe not biologically but in every other way you are."

As Anakin grinned in relief, the underlying tension that had existed between Master and Padawan evaporated and things went back to normal. Harry then stood up and stretched. "I hope you're not too tired Padawan because the Council want to see us now, regarding a mission for the two of us."

Anakin leapt up and said, "Mission? Where? When? Why aren't we up there now? Come on."

Harry laughed as he replied, "Yes Anakin a mission. We're going to Earth."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Return to Earth**

As Harry and Anakin stepped into the middle of the Council chamber the Council members were happy to sense that the tension between the pair had vanished. They'd known of what had happened, but had let Harry handle it himself. They hadn't known the details of the punishment as it was considered a private matter between Master and Padawan, but it was clear that it had been effective.

"Knight Potter, Padawan Skywalker, know why you are here do you?" Yoda asked. Harry nodded and replied, "Yes Master, you have a mission for us, something to do with my homeworld."

"Yes Knight Potter that is correct" Even Piell stated. "We don't know how but a member of the Ministry of Magic in Britain contacted us and asked for our help in getting rid of a Sith Lord that has taken up residence there and is busy gaining followers among the population. They are creating havoc and the Ministry can't deal with it on their own."

"Let me guess, they found out that this was where I'd come after Azkaban and they want their Saviour back" Harry said in disgust. Anakin looked at his master in shock; he'd never heard Harry sound so bitter. The Council was shocked too but they were able to understand why he was like that. Even so he was a Jedi and it was unbecoming of him to act like that.

"Knight Potter, whatever your feelings towards the magical community may be, they asked for our help. We will give that help to them as it is in our interests as well to eradicate the Sith. You are being sent because it is your home planet and you know the area the best. And for the record, no they did not know where you went, this was a general request, not specifically for you."

Harry nodded and said, "I apologise Masters, my statement earlier was out of line." The Council looked at him and then nodded, satisfied. Harry then grinned. "If they don't know who's coming then won't they be in for a shock." His mischievous nature which rarely showed was tickled by the idea and he found himself looking forward to it.

"May I ask if Anakin and I are the only ones going?" Harry enquired. Mace shook his head. "No Harry, accompanying you will be Master Jinn, Knight Kenobi and Padawan Veldt, Master Hikari, Master Sora and myself. Sora and Hikari are coming because they want to have a few words with certain people on your planet, and they want to be there in case being back there causes all your hard work here to come undone. I am coming as both a member of the Jedi Council and also because I want a few words with a few people as well. Master Jinn and Knight Kenobi are coming because they have been to Earth before as well. Although Master Jinn and I, as well as Masters Hikari and Sora have seniority over you in terms of rank, you will be leading the mission as it is your world we'll be entering."

Harry nodded; shocked that he would be leading the mission when four Jedi Masters would be present. He was used to leading Anakin or other Knights but this was a new experience for him. Hiding his shock he said, "May we leave to prepare for the trip Masters?" The Council members nodded so Harry and Anakin bowed and left for their apartment, with Anakin having a lot of questions he wanted answered.

As they moved round the apartment gathering the things they would need, including extra charging equipment and spare parts for their lightsabers, Anakin asked questions while Harry answered them.

"Why did you say that stuff about them wanting their savior back Master?" Anakin asked. He heard a sigh and then the reply came back.

"Anakin do you remember last year when we talked about prophecies?" Anakin nodded before answering, "Yeah, you explained about the magical world then and your role in it. What does that have to do with what you said though?"

"Because of a prophecy and my mother's love for me, I survived a curse that was supposed to be impossible to survive. I was hailed as a hero, and was turned into a celebrity. I never wanted the fame that came with it; I wanted to be an ordinary wizard. However, the public wouldn't let me. I was stared at and whispered about in public; people came up and shook my hand. It was suffocating. Then, when Voldemort returned at the end of my fourth year of school, the public stuck their heads in the sand and refused to believe it. I was called an attention seeking liar among other things. However, then when it was proved beyond a doubt that Voldemort had returned, I was back to being a hero and they all expected me to save them. They expected a sixteen year old boy to save them from the Darkest wizard the world had ever seen. My reason for saying what I did, is that now, they have a situation they can't, or won't deal with and they want someone else to clean it up for them."

Another sigh came from Harry's direction and he continued, "Nevertheless, we are Jedi and personal feelings shouldn't come into account when we go to help them. They probably can't deal with this Sith, although I'm surprised that they haven't dealt with his followers yet. Still, we'll go and help and then come back here, back home."

"You don't consider Earth your home Master?"

"No Anakin I don't. I used to consider my school, Hogwarts, as home but what happened in my sixth year, when I was sent to prison due to a clever frame up destroyed that for me. This is my home, with the Jedi, and you."

"How long is the journey?"

"5 weeks so pack enough clothing for 3 months and you should be fine" came back the answer. Anakin shook his head but followed the instruction. Finally he asked a final question, even though he would ask more on the trip.

"Are you going to be ok Master? I mean, this is sounding like you're going back to your past, back to face everyone you left behind. Is it going to be ok?"

Harry smiled at Anakin's concern for him. "I'll be ok Anakin, it will be hard, facing all the people who used to be my friends, the people who betrayed me, but I'll deal with it. I have some consolation in knowing that it's been 16 years since I left so when I show up they'll be shocked. I also know that however I may feel about seeing them again, they'll probably feel worse. I left before they could properly apologise and they've had the past 16 years to think about that so I think they'll have come up with some good apologies."

Anakin snorted but sat down on the couch, dropping his bag beside him. "I'm ready Master, when are we leaving?"

"As soon as the rest of our companions are ready" came the reply.

15 minutes later the group of 7 boarded the transport and took off on the 5 week journey to Earth, which for Harry would indeed be a trip back into the past, a trip which would open up old wounds, lead to new discoveries, and give Harry a chance to finally put his past behind him once and for all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Arrival at Hogwarts**

As the ship landed on Earth, being careful to stay cloaked so no muggle equipment could pick it up, the group of Jedi were experiencing a range of emotion, ranging from curious and excited (Anakin and Syra, who was Obi-Wan's Padawan), to alert and wary (Mace, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Hikari and Sora) to tense and wary (Harry). Although Sora and Hikari weren't Knights, they carried lightsabers as they had had basic defence lessons in case the Temple was ever attacked.

They disembarked and then the group turned as one to Harry, their looks all saying the same thing, that being 'What next'. Harry looked round; they had landed near a forest which looked oddly familiar to Harry. Extending his senses the Knight grinned.

"We're at the back of the forest that extends onto the grounds of Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry, also known as simply Hogwarts." He looked up at the sky before grimacing at seeing the full moon that hung overhead.

"Full moon. Be very careful, there might be werewolves around and we don't want to run into one" he continued.

"What are werewolves?" Obi-Wan asked with a frown. Harry looked at him and smiled slightly. "Werewolves are people who, every full moon turn into a vicious wolf, one that has no thought except for killing or hurting other people. A werewolf can be controlled through the use of the wolfsbane potion which gives the person control over the animal, but not many werewolves can afford to buy it. If one bites you then you'll turn into one every full moon for the rest of your life."

The Jedi shivered and then looked at the forest with slight apprehension. Mace then asked, "Is it safe here Harry?"

"Safe enough as long as we're careful Master. Just be on the lookout and don't walk towards any rustling bushes. We should be ok."

With that he walked off around the edge of the forest. The other Jedi followed him, being careful to stay on the alert. Anakin and Syra stayed closer to their respective masters than they otherwise might have, neither of them wanted to run into a vicious animal in the dark. Feeling their discomfort, both Harry and Obi-Wan sent reassurance and comfort through their bonds and the two younger Jedi relaxed.

After about half an hour they reached the outer edge of the forest and could see the beginnings of the Hogwarts grounds. That was when they heard an ominous growl from their left. Turning to look, Harry immediately got in front of the group his arms outstretched to block the others from getting around him. Anakin was confused by Harry's behavior and questioned him through their bond.

_Master, why are you standing there, it's just a dog. Watch, I'll show you._

As Harry said, _No it's not it's a werewolf _Anakin stepped around him and walked up to the snarling canine in front of them. The Jedi apprentice then smacked the werewolf on the nose and said in a loud, commanding voice, "Bad dog. Go away and lie down somewhere, stop scaring my friends."

The werewolf that Harry now recognized as Moony yelped in shock and pain but then obediently turned tail and ran off. Anakin turned back to see Harry staring at him in shock. He seemed to be having problems breathing.

"Master? Are you ok?" Anakin asked, worried. Harry looked at him for a few seconds and then stepped forward and yanked his braid hard. He stepped back and said, "What part of don't walk towards rustling bushes was unclear Padawan?"

"None of it, Master, it was just a dog though. I don't understand why you were worried."

"Anakin, that "dog" was a fully grown, adult werewolf. You just smacked a werewolf on the nose and told it to go away. The only reason it didn't attack you was because it was probably under the influence of the wolfsbane potion. Don't do that again, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

Anakin swallowed upon hearing that he'd smacked a werewolf and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted. There were a few muffled snickers from Mace, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan while Harry knelt beside his unconscious apprentice and revived him. Anakin awoke to see a pair of green eyes looking at him, eyes with a decided hint of amusement in them. Looking further, he saw a very pronounced smirk on Harry's face. Harry helped Anakin up and then asked, "What kind of Jedi does a very dangerous thing and then faints upon hearing of the danger afterwards?"

Anakin glared good-naturedly at his master and grumbled, "One who's still in training. Besides, from what you've told me about your childhood, you don't have any business lecturing me on foolhardy stunts."

Harry closed his eyes as he heard Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Mace and Sora break into laughter. Opening them he glared back at Anakin and said, "I told you those things with the intention of _stopping_ you from doing similar things, not so you could do them and then throw my childhood misadventures in my face as an excuse. Besides, you deliberately did the opposite of what I told you to do, my adventures were usually outside my control and I was dragged into them through no fault of my own. Kindly cease and desist from using my experiences to justify your own disobedience. I don't like it."

Having said that Harry rose and extended a hand to Anakin, lifting him easily to his feet with one pull. Looking at the ground they still had to cover, Harry looked back at his group, one which contained four highly amused Jedi Masters and one Knight, and two Padawans, one of whom was confused and one who was still slightly shocked and also a bit subdued. Shaking his head, Harry raised his voice a bit.

"Let's keep going, we can make the castle in about 15 minutes if we move now." The group moved towards the castle, spreading out slightly now that sticking in a group wasn't as much of an issue. Harry took the opportunity to call Anakin up to walk with him.

"Are you ok Anakin?" Harry queried. Anakin looked at Harry, taking the opportunity to sort through his thoughts while he walked. At last he replied, "I think so. I didn't mean what I said to be hurtful Master, it just sort of slipped out."

Harry smiled. "I know you didn't Anakin, and I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did. But, you have to understand, I know the dangers here so you should have listened to me when I said it wasn't a dog. You seriously scared me Padawan; I thought I was going to have to cope with an apprentice that turned into an uncontrollable monster once a month. I have nothing against werewolves in general; most of them are very nice people when they're not having their "time of the month" episodes. But, a Jedi as a werewolf? That would be complicated."

Anakin nodded. "I'm sorry Master. I did think it was a dog and I wasn't listening to you. Are things ok between us?"

Harry smirked and gave Anakin's braid a playful, gentle tug. "Yes of course. I'm not going to go all silent and cold on you like the last two months. That was an extreme situation, and one I hope will never be repeated. Just remember that while we're here, I'm likely to know more about what's safe and what isn't. If in doubt, ask me, whether out loud or through our bond."

Stopping briefly, Harry placed both hands on Anakin's shoulders and locked eyes with him. In a quiet, serious tone he said, "I've lost my parents to this world Anakin, as well as friends and surrogate family, I don't want it to claim my son as well. Will you promise me to at least think before jumping blindly into a situation here?"

Anakin swallowed and nodded. "Yes Master. You be careful too, you're the only father I've got, I don't want your past to tear you apart any more than you want me to be eaten by a werewolf."

Harry smirked and then his look turned feral. "There's no worries there Anakin, they've had 16 years to think of a suitable apology but I'm going to somewhat enjoy making them sweat a little before I accept it. There are some people who don't need to apologise as they never betrayed me, but the majority, oh yes they will be squirming slightly. One in particular I want a very large apology from."

"Who?" Anakin asked.

"My former mentor, Albus Dumbledore" came the reply. Anakin looked puzzled. "Master, if he's your former mentor, why don't you accept his apology and be done with it. That's what you've done if Master Windu has an argument with you."

Harry looked at his apprentice and smiled slightly bitterly. "It's not that simple Anakin. Dumbledore was my mentor yes, but I found out when I was fifteen, the same age as you are now, that he'd manipulated me all my time at Hogwarts. He left me with relatives who were abusive, who hated magic and therefore hated me. He then manipulated situations at Hogwarts so I would come to be dependent on him, would count on him always being there. Then, when I was 15 he started ignoring me, not even looking at me, because he was afraid that Voldemort, the Dark Lord I told you about, would possess me and then use my body to attack him. He also waited until my godfather was dead to tell me of the Prophecy which he could have told me about when I first asked him why Voldy wanted to kill me at age 11. Then, after a year of ignoring me, everything's fine again until my best friend turns up dead, and the evidence is such that on the surface it appears that I did it. Now, Dumbledore is the kind of wizard that is famous for giving second chances to people who most would cheerfully kill without a second thought. Yet, with me, the student that my least favorite teacher always accused of being his favorite, he wouldn't even consider the fact that I might be innocent. Nor did he defend me. He stood aside and let the corrupt government throw me in jail. Then, when he finally realized that I was innocent, I had already spent a year in a place that makes Korriban look like an Alderaanian health spa."

Looking grimly at the castle, which had grown closer as he'd talked, Harry finished with, "Dumbledore has a lot to answer for Anakin, and I won't put up with any manipulation if he tries it. I also won't accept any half hearted apologies either."

Anakin was shocked by the level of betrayal that his master had experienced at Dumbledore's hands. He shook his head and then ventured his opinion.

"Er, it sounds to me like you're carrying a grudge Master. I thought we weren't supposed to do that." He was surprised to hear a laugh from Harry.

"I'm not holding a grudge Anakin, I merely want the apology I'm owed, the one he tried to give 16 years ago that I couldn't accept due to the condition I was in. Now I'm in a condition to accept that apology but I also want it straight, not any "It was for the common good" crap."

Stopping again, Harry sank to his knees and breathed out, seeking calm and peace as he released his emotions to the Force and allowed it to flow through him giving him strength for the coming meetings.

Stepping up to the front doors he raised his fist and knocked on the wood. They swung open to reveal a familiar figure.

Stepping forward Harry said, "Professor McGonagall?" The witch looked at him with a puzzled gaze.

"Yes, do I know you?" she asked. Harry grinned and then replied, "Hmm lets see, do you remember the 150 points you removed from Gryffindor for a certain dragon smuggling incident? Or a certain underage Triwizard champion?" He removed his hood which he'd put back on for the walk up to the school and let his old Head of House look at him.

"Harry Potter" the Gryffindor Head of House said with a smile. "I do indeed remember those incidents. While you're standing there I'm going to take advantage of it and do something I've wanted to do since your sixth year, when you were taken to Azkaban."

Harry looked at her, puzzled, before stiffening in shock as the normally undemonstrative Deputy Headmistress abandoned her normal behavior and hugged him. "I gather that you and your companions are the help that the Minister promised?" Harry nodded and replied, "Yes we are Professor but don't say anything to anyone, I want to make an entrance."

"Just like a Marauder" McGonagall sighed before releasing him. "Very well, it should be amusing to see the look on Albus' face, not to mention Severus' when they see you. While you're here I intend to give you your wish of being an Animagus if you have the necessary ability."

"Thank you, now, I think we'd better make that entrance, it's a bit cold out here" Harry said, his confidence and good humor boosted by seeing his former Professor again. McGonagall nodded before saying one last thing before leaving to announce them, "Oh, Harry, you're not a student anymore. My name is Minerva, please use it." Harry smiled and gave a slight nod in return. With that McGonagall left to announce them. In a few minutes she returned to say that they were ready.

Looking at his friends and family, Harry said quietly, "Be prepared for anything, I may be happy to see some people here, such as Minerva but I don't know whether I can trust others, and that includes Dumbledore, who is the Headmaster. Let's get this show on the road."

McGonagall went first, with the Jedi behind her, wearing their hoods up to conceal their identities. Harry would reveal himself first and then as he introduced the others they would lower theirs. They stepped into the Great Hall which was empty of students as it was the summer break, although a crowd of people were present and looked to be discussing strategies for dealing with the problem of the Sith Lord. They looked up at the interruption.

"Minerva, I take it your companions are the help that Minister Bones promised us?" McGonagall nodded and then stepped aside, saying, "I'll let them introduce themselves. You do know at least one of them though."

Now she had Dumbledore's attention, as well as that of the rest of the Order, which included the Weasleys, Professor Snape, Draco Malfoy, Alastor Moody, and others who hadn't been in the Order when Harry was sent to prison. Remus was also present in his werewolf form, and he whined when he saw the Jedi that he'd encountered outside but didn't approach, not wanting to get smacked again, his nose was quite sensitive after all. Smiling wickedly under his hood, Harry stepped forward.

"May I introduce my companions" he started. Receiving a nod from Dumbledore he began. He left his hood up as he wanted to reveal himself last.

"May I introduce Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn, Master Healers Hikari and Sora, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Syra Veldt, and finally my own apprentice Anakin Skywalker. We're here to help get rid of this Dark Lord that's causing problems here." As each of the group was introduced they lowered their hoods.

There was a murmuring from around the table where the leaders of the Order were gathered and then Dumbledore moved towards them.

"We welcome your help but you haven't introduced yourself. We would like to know the identities of all our allies if you wouldn't mind.

Grinning again, Harry lowered his hood, allowing the assembled witches and wizards to see him clearly.

Smirking he locked eyes with Dumbledore and said, "Has it really been that long that you've forgotten your precious "Chosen One" Headmaster?"

Still smirking he stepped back to stand with the rest of the Jedi as chaos erupted around them.

**Author Note**

**Hello people, this is a repost of the chapter that I posted early this morning. Several of you reviewed and pointed out that if it was a full moon then Remus couldn't be in human form and be Moony as well. When I reread it I realised that I did have this situation. I have now changed it so hopefully it works. The werewolf idea was submitted by PantherGuide as well as other ideas which I will be using in the next chapter or two.**

**Hope you continue to read and May the Force be with you.**

**Padawan Lynne**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Reunions and Explanations**

There was a chorus of "HARRY!" which made the Jedi wince, and then a flood of people started towards him, the Weasley family and Dumbledorein the lead. Harry stepped back and used the Force to create an invisible wall between him and the tide of people. As an afterthought he added cushioning to it, but not before Dumbledore had run at full speed into the hard part, breaking his nose and making it even more crooked than before.

Snape then spoke, his tone conveying suspicion although his eyes showed amusement at Dumbledore's predicament. "How can we be sure that it really is Potter? I mean, we all know how he was framed in the first place."

Harry was about to reply that of course it was him when a chorus of trills and hoots came from above them. As he looked up, Hedwig and Fawkes came spiraling down to land on his shoulders, affectionately running their beaks through his hair.

After repairing his nose and motioning for the rest of the Order to stay back, Dumbledore turned his twinkling blue gaze on Harry and said cheerfully, "I think Hedwig and Fawkes have just proven his identity. Harry, we're very glad to have you back, and your help is most welcome. Would you like to see what we've come up with so far?"

Harry shook his head, keeping his eyes locked with Dumbledore's. In an even tone of voice he replied, "With all due respect Headmaster, we've just arrived and we're tired. We can look at what you've done already in the morning, but we need to sleep right now." As Dumbledore nodded Harry continued in a slightly harder tone, "One more thing, Headmaster, I didn't give you permission to use my name. Kindly address me as Knight Potter until I say otherwise. Only those I trust are allowed to call me by my name."

Harry turned back towards the door, leaving a stunned silence behind him. He was far more attuned to Fawkes and Hedwig though, who had kept up a constant series of trills and hoots which he interpreted as a sound telling off for leaving them. Everyone was silent because no one could remember anyone ever talking to Dumbledore in that manner before. It also served to highlight exactly how deep the rift between the two ran, which was painful to both although Harry wouldn't admit it. Then there was a pop, and a very excited house elf attacked Harry.

"Harry Potter sir, Dobby is being preparing your suite for you and your friends. Dobby is so excited to be able to be seeing you again. Dobby is being very happy that you have returned."

As the Jedi looked on in amusement, Harry knelt before the excited little creature and detached himself gently. "Hello Dobby, I'm pleased to see you too and I'm glad our rooms are ready. Can you lead us to them please; we'd like to settle in."

Dobby nodded and led the Jedi to a portrait of the Hogwarts Founders. Godric Gryffindor looked at them and said, "Password please."

Harry looked at Dobby who said, "Hope" Godric nodded and the painting swung forward, admitting the Jedi to the suite of rooms behind it.

"You can be changing the password Master Harry if you be wanting to. Tell the portrait the new password and it will be changed. Goodnight."

Harry smiled as Dobby popped away and then sat down. There was a brief silence before Obi-Wan broke it. "Harry, what the hell was that creature?" Harry smirked at his friend.

"Dobby is a house elf Obi-Wan; they are bound to serve one place or family until they die. Most house elves are well treated however there are some that get mistreated by their masters. A house elf can only be freed if their master presents them with clothes. I freed Dobby from his family when I was twelve, and he's been attached to me ever since."

"Is he normally that, er, excitable?" Syra questioned. Harry nodded before yawning. "Yes he is, you get used to it though. I'm off to bed though, considering we need to be up early tomorrow to discuss strategy."

So saying, he went to investigate the bedrooms, and was soon followed by Anakin and then Syra as Obi-Wan had given him a pointed look which said "Bed, now." After another 10 minutes or so the other Jedi followed, needing sleep as much as Harry and the two Padawans did.

The next morning, all the Jedi were up early, and followed Harry down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They made quick work of it, and were just about to leave to get in a quick meditation session when they were met with a red blur which resolved itself into Ginny Weasley.

"Harry Potter, how dare you go away and leave me here without saying goodbye" she shrieked before stepping up to him and slapping him across the face. Anakin leapt forward with a snarl but found himself restrained by his master.

"It's ok Anakin, I deserved that. I'm surprised she didn't use her favorite hex actually" Harry admitted. Turning to Ginny he said "I'm not going to apologise for leaving because I was in no state to talk to anyone when I left. If you want to know what I was like when I joined the Jedi Order, I suggest you talk to Mace, Hikari and Sora here as they're the ones who put me back together, with help from Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as well. That being said, I am glad to see you. You're the only one from your family that I want to see actually."

Ginny nodded. "Not surprising. Give them a chance though Harry, they've been in a state since last night, especially Mum. They want to apologise, but they're afraid that your friends won't let them get close enough to do so."

Harry considered this and then finally turned to Mace and said, "Let them, and anyone else that wants to talk to me do so, if I need help I'll tell you ok." Mace nodded and then replied, "I think that might be sooner than you think Harry."

Turning round Harry spotted Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape entering the great hall. He stiffened slightly as they approached, but gave no other sign of his feelings. The three eyed each other before Draco stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"Welcome back Potter, you're looking a hell of a lot better than when I last saw you." Harry smirked and took the outstretched hand, shaking it firmly before replying, "Decent food and training will do that to you Malfoy. What's been happening here since I left?"

"I'm Snape's Potions apprentice, and have been for the past 5 years, I went to university and then apprenticed after that. He's given over teaching 1st years thru to 4th to me, and takes the 5th years and up. This Dark Lord that is terrorizing everyone is playing havoc with the students though; it's almost like it was when we were in school."

"That bad then" Harry asked. Draco nodded. "Thank goodness Severus and I don't have to spy though." Harry nodded. "You wouldn't stand a chance against a Sith Lord, no matter how good your Occlumency skills" he stated.

"Speaking of Occlumency Potter, I see your shields have improved dramatically" Snape's silky voice spoke from behind Draco. Before Harry could reply, Hikari snapped back, "That's what happens when you _teach _someone rather than mind-rape them Snape!"

Draco looked confused. "Mind rape? What happened Severus?"

Snape looked uncomfortable. "Do you remember when I was teaching you Occlumency Draco?" At his apprentice's nod, he continued, "Do you remember what I did at the end of the training?"

"You mean when you attacked all out with little to no warning?" Draco asked.

Snape nodded. "I did that every time with Potter here, Master Hikari's accusation is true, it was mind rape."

Looking directly at Harry, he continued, "I know that what I did is unforgivable but I do have an explanation for why that happened. It won't excuse my actions but it may put them in perspective."

Harry looked evenly at his former teacher before saying, "We can discuss it in a less public place. Not all of us have to be there though; may I ask whether Draco would consent to giving a tour of the castle to our apprentices?"

Draco nodded and said, "I'd be happy to Potter. It will give me a chance to pick your apprentice's brain about what you're like now and I'll be able to tell him what you were like when we were students."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Here we go the grand apprentice story swap" he muttered. Turning to Anakin he said, "No wandering off Padawan, Hogwarts is full of traps for those that wander around without paying attention." Anakin nodded before replying equally seriously, "I won't wander off Master, I'll be too busy gathering blackmail information."

Anakin ducked out of the way of the good natured swat that Harry aimed at his head before heading off with Draco. Syra followed them after a second's hesitation.

Snape watched them go and then said, "I never would have imagined you as a Master Potter." Harry smirked and then said, "My name, Professor, is Harry. Please use it." He then turned and walked in the direction of their suite, with Mace, Hikari, and Sora following. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had excused themselves to discreetly follow Draco, Anakin and Syra, because they wanted to see round Hogwarts as well. They wouldn't be close enough to hear the conversation but by following the route the apprentices took they would be safe and could look around the castle as well.

In the common area of the rooms the Jedi had been given, Mace, Hikari, Sora and Harry sat down on the couches, while Snape pulled up the other chair so it was facing the Jedi who were in a loose semicircle, with Harry at the centre. The four Jedi were wearing neutral expressions but Snape was too good an Occlumens to not pick up the suspicion and hostility directed at him from the three Masters. Harry he noted was keeping his emotions masked but they seemed to be curiosity mixed with a faint apprehension as to his reasons for the Occlumency disaster.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Mace said sharply, "You said you had reasons for your inexcusable behavior towards my former Padawan so start explaining."

Harry closed his eyes as Hikari added "They had better be good ones otherwise not even Harry here will be able to stop us from showing you what we think of child abusers."

Snape was not really shocked at the way the senior Jedi had leapt to Harry's defence, what he was shocked by was the implied threat in their words. Before he could say anything though, Harry spoke up.

"You will not hurt him, Masters. None of us like what he did, but I know him well enough to know that while he might act like a complete bastard he does care about the students of this school. He would not willingly have hurt me like he did, the fact that he wants to explain the reasons tells me that something else was behind this. If you try and hurt him I will be standing in the way."

Locking eyes with his former Professor, Harry continued quietly, "I should have listened to him in the first place, or done research on my own on Occlumency techniques. I didn't do my part properly which is part of why he was able to do so much damage. Hear him out."

Snape swallowed and sat silently for a few minutes, sorting his thoughts into order and mulling over the maturity that this new version of Harry was displaying. He resolved to talk with him later, alone, to find out how he had changed and why, and get to know the man in a way that he had never allowed himself to get to know the boy that he used to be.

'That is if I can avoid being killed by his defenders' he thought. Breathing out slowly he began his explanation.

"Harry," he stumbled slightly as he wasn't used to using his former student's first name, "is only partially correct. Yes he could have researched but he would have found only obscure references and vague hints of what to do. I was trapped by circumstances that I will explain, so I couldn't be a source of information for him either, which under normal circumstances I would have been. While it is true that a teacher cannot teach unless the student is willing to learn, the student cannot learn unless the teacher provides them with the necessary information and tools to learn with."

Taking another breath Snape locked his eyes with Harry's, not quite willing to meet the eyes of the senior Jedi, and continued, "When I was awarded the rank of Master Occlumens I had to swear an oath to never use my skills to harm another person and if I taught a student to be an Occlumens to never use my skills to harm them while teaching them. I think you all know quite well that I broke that oath rather spectacularly with Harry. I had to get the "lessons" stopped somehow so I used Harry's natural curiosity and deliberately left my Pensieve out on the table, knowing that his thirst for information of any kind would lead him to looking in it, and thus giving me a legitimate excuse to end the lessons."

"This is all well and good Professor but we still haven't heard _why_ you mistreated Harry in the manner that you did" Sora said dryly. Harry shot the healer a sharp look, which was returned with equal intensity. Snape noticed the by-play and smiled slightly.

"Still managing to annoy your teachers then?" he said with a crooked smile. Harry grinned back and said, "You know me, I never stop. Continue though, I don't think they'll wait much longer."

Shrugging in acquiescence, Snape continued his explanation. "That was the background, now I can get to the reasons. The lessons were supposed to stop Voldemort from getting into Harry's head. Before the term started though, I was summoned to the Headmaster's office. He told me to deliberately mis-teach you, and I wasn't happy about it. Would it be better if I just showed you the memory?"

At the four nods he received, Snape withdrew his own Pensieve and set it on the table. Drawing out a strand of memory, he placed it in the bowl and then pushed it towards Harry with a wry look.

"This time Potter you have my permission" he said. Harry smirked before answering, "Thank you very much Professor and I apologise for my unauthorized entry when I was 15."

The five occupants of the room stuck their fingers into the Pensieve and were dropped into the past.

_They landed in Dumbledore's office where a heated debate was going on between Dumbledore and a younger looking Snape._

"_Severus, these visions that Harry has been having may help us. I know I said I wanted you to teach him Occlumency but I've changed my mind. The connection that young Harry has with Voldemort may work to our advantage. We could possibly use the connection to flush Tom out and then we could get Harry to kill him."_

"_And how would you suggest we do that Headmaster, the Occlumency lessons are to teach him to keep the connection closed, not open, though I doubt I'll be able to teach the brat when we do start, given his complete lack of attention in class so far."_

_Dumbledore smiled, and it was a smile that Snape didn't like very much. The old wizard leaned back in his chair and said, "That's because I don't want the connection closed Severus, I want you to go into his mind and open it wider. Harry has no inkling of our plans, that's why I've kept him in the dark so to speak so far this year. You have your instructions Severus, once the lessons start, open his mind, and don't teach him to close it."_

_Snape was staring at his mentor in disbelief, what he was being asked to do was to go against the oath that he'd sworn when he was awarded the rank of Master Occlumens/Legilimens. Shaking his head he snapped out,_

"_Headmaster, do you realize what you're asking me to do? You're asking me to break a sacred oath, an oath that you once swore yourself. You know the consequences of mind rape as well as I do. I won't do it; if I am to teach that brat Occlumency then I will do so properly. You can find another way of flushing out that monster without using an innocent boy to do it."_

_Dumbledore stood abruptly, the persona of the kind old grandfather gone, and in its place was the powerful wizard that Voldemort feared. In a hard tone he said, "Severus, are you deliberately defying my orders? Have you forgotten who saved you from Azkaban after the first war ended?"_

_Spinning round to face Dumbledore, Snape ground out "No I haven't forgotten and I will be forever grateful to you for that but I've paid my debt to society, I shouldn't have to be forced to go against my word like you're asking me to."_

_Still in a hard tone Dumbledore replied, "One word to the Minister, Severus, and you'll be back with the Dementors. If I can't trust you to follow my orders then you're of no further use to me. What's it to be, mind rape one boy for the good of the wizarding world, or spending the rest of your life with the Dementors? It's your choice Severus."_

_Snape was standing stock still, his eyes closed tightly as he sorted through his options, which were really limited to two equally bad choices. Finally he opened his eyes, having come to a painful decision._

"_I'll do it Headmaster, but don't be surprised if your Golden Boy ends up in the same ward as Longbottom's parents, the mind is a delicate thing and not to be treated harshly." Spinning on his heel he stalked towards the door, before stopping and turning back to say one last thing, "If he ever finds out what you've asked me to do, may Merlin help you because I won't stand in his path if he wants revenge. I may even help him do it."_

_With that he stalked down the staircase, muttering to himself. As he stalked off down the hall he muttered, "I have to stop the lessons somehow. Maybe utilizing the brat's natural nosiness, if I leave my Pensieve out, yes that will work. I can give the brat a view of what his sainted father was like at his age and also have a legitimate excuse for stopping the lessons. I can't do it until at least 3 or 4 weeks though, oh damn I'm going to have such a headache for that time. Damn you Albus."_

The memory ended and the five people landed back in the common room. Snape was looking out the window but he could feel the rise of magic in the air. When he dared a glance at his four companions he shivered. Harry seemed resigned upon finding out about yet another betrayal by his one-time mentor; the primary emotion in his eyes seemed to be sadness for Snape's predicament. The other three Jedi though, were furious and weren't hiding it in the slightest.

Finally Mace spoke and his tone conveyed the fact that he was holding back a great deal of anger. "Where is the Headmasters office?" Harry now looked worried, and so did Snape although he also looked amused at the prospect of Dumbledore having to face three utterly pissed off Jedi Masters. He leaned back and drawled, "Why do you want to know?"

"So we can express our, ahem, displeasure, at his tactics with the Occlumency" Hikari hissed. Sora nodded, not needing to speak, the anger radiating off him was palpable.

Before Snape could answer, Harry spoke up. "You can't harm him Masters."

"Why not Harry, he certainly didn't seem to have much respect for your wellbeing when you were younger, nor much for Professor Snape either from that memory" Mace said. Harry got up and blocked the doorway, his eyes locking with those of his former Master's.

"You can't hurt him for several reasons. One, we are here to help get rid of a Sith, not get retribution for something that happened a long time ago. Two, since he hurt me and Professor Snape we're the ones who should be first in line as it were for any retribution, three, this was my home at one point and I still know it well enough to get to Dumbledore before you could, four, I still need an apology from the man, even if I have to beat it out of him and five, well, reason number five is the most compelling of all Masters.

Reason number five is that we're Jedi, we shouldn't seek revenge, even though I'm happy that you're so protective of me, we can't forget our primary reason for being here. I can handle Dumbledore, if it turns out that I'm wrong then feel free to step in on my behalf but until then, please, restrain yourselves. I don't want you to end up in Azkaban for killing him; it's not a nice vacation spot."

The three Jedi Masters looked rather ashamed of themselves while Snape looked surprised. In a less superior tone than he normally used he said, "You've truly grown up Harry, haven't you?" Harry turned to look at him and with an amused tone of voice said, "Yes, I did. Everyone does someday. I just had to do it in a more unusual way than most. Tell me, why are you less hostile towards me than you were when I was a student?"

As Snape started to reply, Mace, Hikari and Sora started making for the door. They were almost there when Harry asked calmly, "Where are you going?" Annoyed that his former apprentice was making him feel like a Padawan again, Mace replied, "We're not going to harm Dumbledore, we're going to see if we can find Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and the others, while you and Professor Snape discuss the past."

Harry nodded and the three Masters left, leaving Harry and Snape to discuss several points of interest and lay down the beginnings of what some would have deemed to be impossible – a friendship between a Snape and a Potter where traditionally there had only been enemies.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Truces and New Discoveries**

As Mace, Hikari and Sora closed the portrait behind them Snape and Harry were left eyeing each other warily. Finally Harry stood and began to pace like a caged lion. After a few minutes of this Snape grew tired of it and snapped, "Potter, sit down before you make me dizzy with all the going round in circles!"

Harry stopped and glared at him, before saying in a slightly heated tone, "I'm trying to keep myself from killing Dumbledore when I next see him, and I'm too restless to sit still at present. Excuse me for being more than a bit hurt and angry at what he's done to us."

"Us?" Snape queried, wondering why Harry would include him in the problem. Harry flopped down onto the couch again and smiled mirthlessly. "Yes us, Professor. He hurt you just as much as he did me with that Occlumency crap, even though most wouldn't acknowledge it. I do however; you didn't deserve to have your trust abused like that, just as I didn't deserve what he forced you to do to me."

Seeing that Snape still looked skeptical he leaned forward and dropped his guard for a few moments, allowing Snape to see that he was sincere in both what he'd just said and what he was about to say. Locking gazes, Harry continued, "I know we didn't have a good history and I know it's your nature to try and bait me but please, can we just let bygones be bygones? I could apologise for everything I ever did, as well as everything my father ever did if that's what you want. I don't want to have to fight you as well as Dumbledore while I'm here."

Snape looked at him evenly. "Agreed Potter, the apologies won't be necessary. You've clearly matured into someone I could see myself getting to know better. What, may I ask do you plan to do regarding Draco?"

"He doesn't insult me and I won't insult him. If it's meant to be friendly teasing then I'll take it as such but I won't tolerate true insults from him. I trusted him with Anakin earlier so we'll see how that worked out. I'm sure my Padawan got lots of lovely blackmail information from him too."

"What exactly do you mean by Padawan, Potter?" Snape asked. Harry smiled and replied, "It's the Jedi term for apprentice Professor. And I belive I've already told you that my name is Harry. I'd appreciate it if you used it. If you can't use it then use Knight Potter, it's more respectful."

Snape nodded at this new information and then sat back. "I stand by my earlier statement Potter; it's difficult to see you as a Master, even when the evidence is clearly in front of me. What's he like?"

"Anakin? He's a good kid. He gets in trouble sometimes but that's more due to teenage thoughtlessness than anything else."

"Must come from having a Potter for a teacher, you're all mad" Snape said with a smirk. Harry glared good naturedly at him and then smirked before replying, "He's a natural when it comes to flying though, maybe I should introduce him to Quidditch."

Snape groaned before engaging Harry in a discussion on the Jedi and what the relationships were like within the Order and other things. Harry got him to laugh when he described his dealings with various politicians and also sounded Snape out about Palpatine. This brought Snape up short as he considered the situation.

"Hmm, and you say your scar hurts when around him Harry?" After 2 hours Snape was more comfortable using Harry's name than he was when they started. Harry nodded.

"Yes, and twice now I've seen an odd look in his eyes when he looks at me, it's like he views me as a threat. He's very interested in Anakin too, and I'm suspicious of that so I've gone to great lengths to limit their interaction."

"That might be wise, given your apprentice's power level. You mentioned that you and he were alike in some ways which made you more suitable to train him than others?"

Harry sighed and then said, "Hold on, I need to talk to him to find out what he's comfortable with you knowing."

Snape sat back and watched as Harry closed his eyes. He wasn't able to hear the mental conversation although it was clear that there was one happening. After a few minutes Harry opened his eyes.

"He's ok with me telling you most of it, as long as you swear never to reveal it to anyone else." Snape nodded and then replied, "I, Severus Snape swear to never reveal what you tell me about Anakin Skywalker to anyone else as long as I live." The magic in the room responded, binding Snape to his word. Harry nodded, satisfied and then sat forward.

"Right. The first thing you need to know is this, Anakin is our Chosen One. He is the subject of an annoyingly vague prophecy that says that at some point in the future he will bring balance to the Force. I think you now know one of the reasons why I was suited to teach him."

Snape nodded. "Yes, you would be uniquely qualified to help him with the stress of dealing with prophecies. What else?" Harry sighed. "Like me, Anakin didn't join the Order at infancy. I found him when he was nine; he and his mother were slaves. I managed to free Anakin but not his mother. The separation was hard for him although I think having me to latch onto helped the separation issue a bit. You know what my childhood was like Professor; I was able to relate to him on those issues as well. The last issue is power. His power level is off our normal scale, as is mine. The head of the Jedi Council is at the top of the scale, and Anakin and I are beyond that. We measure power in terms of midichlorian concentrations, midichlorians being what allows us to feel the Force. Master Yoda, the head of the Council is at 19,500. The top of the scale is set at 20 000 just so you know.

My midichlorian count is 22,500. Anakin's is 23,500. I was the closest in terms of raw power so I can help him control it if he loses control for whatever reason."

Snape was flabbergasted, he knew that Harry had been powerful when he was a student but to sit and hear that his former most hated student was more powerful than his entire Council, not to mention that his apprentice was even more powerful shocked him. Finally he found his voice.

"What happens if Anakin ever goes Dark?" he asked. Harry's eyes blazed for a second before he regained control. "That won't happen. If it does though, then it will be my duty to hunt him down and either bring him back to the Light or kill him. Understandably, I don't like thinking of it and I am doing everything I can to ensure that Anakin doesn't fall."

"Understood and I apologise for raising the issue" Snape said quietly. Harry nodded in acceptance and the pair sat quietly, the conversation stopped briefly. Finally Snape asked, "How do you handle discipline, I can't imagine you telling anyone off really."

Harry smirked. "That is a question best left for Anakin to answer, if he wants to. I will say that I have never used physical discipline although it's never seemed to stop Anakin from fearing that I'm suddenly going to start every time he's in trouble."

Snape nodded and then rose. "I think I'll head out and see if I can track down our apprentices, I have to hear about this, I get the feeling that you would downplay it, where an apprentice generally loves to complain about how strict their master is. Not that I can see you being strict with him at any rate." Harry rose too and pinned the Potions Master with a look that suddenly made Snape feel like a student. "You think so Professor? Have fun trying to convince Anakin of that. I would almost pay money to see the attempt. I might not have been the best behaved when I was younger but I grew up."

Snape watched as Harry strode past him and out the portrait, heading towards the great hall, in search of lunch as it was nearing that time. He shook his head, suddenly wondering if Harry might be stricter with Anakin in private than he let on. It was certainly that way with him and the Slytherin students. Oh well, the only person he was going to get answers to that from was Anakin so he might as well go and find him.

Draco and Anakin had indeed had a good time swapping stories of their respective masters. Draco told Anakin about the rivalry between himself and Harry, and the mutual loathing between Harry and Snape, while Anakin told Draco about what Harry was like now, and the differences made Draco's level of respect for his old rival rise. Harry had clearly grown up while he'd been away.

Breaking a comfortable silence, Draco asked, "So what's he like regarding rule breaking. He used to break the rules when he was here seemingly all the time."

Anakin laughed. "He's not as strict as some of the Masters but he doesn't like bullying. He'll enjoy a prank or two as long as it's tasteful, but he won't tolerate me putting myself in danger if it can be avoided. That's what led to my last punishment."

Draco raised an eyebrow, inviting an elaboration of the comment but before he could ask, a silky voice spoke from behind them.

"I believe that Harry wants to speak to you Draco, he's in the Great Hall having lunch. I'll escort Anakin there; I want to talk with him."

"Ok Severus. Where did Syra go?" Draco asked, noticing the absence of the other Jedi Padawan who had until now been firmly attached to them. Anakin answered his question.

"He went off to be with his Master and Master Jinn when we stopped the tour and started discussing Master Harry. He's ok." Draco nodded and then smiled at Anakin.

"I'm getting to like you Skywalker, don't get yourself killed. Oh and despite what you might have heard about Sev here, he's not a monster." He ducked the swat that Snape aimed at his head and walked quickly off down the hall. Snape shook his head and then turned to regard Anakin with a neutral look, pleased that the apprentice met his gaze evenly. He lightly probed his shields, only to discover that they were like Harry's, damn near impenetrable.

"He's trained you well, I can't get into your head" he admitted. Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Was there some reason you wanted to get into my head Professor?" he asked. Snape shook his head. "No, I just wanted to see how strong your shields were compared with your masters. Anakin shook his head again, and muttered, "Is that how you know everything about the students, you go poking round in their heads?"

Snape looked mildly insulted. "Of course not, most of them have no shielding at all and I can read their emotions right off their faces. It's pitifully easy actually, no fun at all."

Anakin snorted before asking, "So what did you want to talk to me about. I'm assuming that my master told you about my Chosen One status."

"Yes he did. I take it that you're not very enamored of it."

"Not really. I don't like being different. Being the most powerful Jedi is cool but Harry's teaching me that raw power isn't enough to win respect. It's not easy at times, I want to advance further but he won't let me. He usually has good reasons for it, so I don't complain much. I can understand why he won't let me move ahead as fast as I want to even though I don't like it at the time."

Snape nodded. "He's right. You might have the skills to advance but you need time to develop the necessary level of knowledge and wisdom in order to handle the next level."

Anakin nodded before saying, "You still didn't answer my question Professor, why do you want to talk to me."

"I wanted to know what Harry was like as a Master. He's told me that you're generally a good apprentice, just with judgment issues at times. What's he like as a Master?"

Anakin chuckled and his eyes developed a spark of mischief in them. "Where to start" he mused. Snape chuckled, he was about to get lots of blackmail information from the sound of it.

"He's very caring for a start. He always has been he's never made any secret about the fact that he puts my well-being above his. He accepts that on missions he might have to put me in dangerous situations but he won't accept me putting myself in danger just for fun. He likes pranks but not malicious ones and he won't tolerate bullying of any kind."

"What else?" Snape asked when Anakin paused.

"It's impossible to lie to him, not that I would, but he has a way of looking at you that seems like he's looking right through you. He's a good teacher; he can take a complicated problem and explain it in a way that makes it seem easy. He has an ability to connect with people that I'm still developing, but when I'm struggling with something, all I have to do is tell him and he'll do anything within his power to help me resolve it, even though he won't do it for me. I still have to do it, but he'll help me."

"

How strict is he then?" Snape was really interested in the answer. Anakin laughed. "Strict when he has to be. I think of him like my father. He's already told me several times that he considers me to be his son. Normally he guides me in the right direction with gentle nudges and encouragement, but at times if I'm going off the path too far, he is quite capable of becoming very stern and yanking me back onto the right path. I generally try to avoid that situation as much as possible."

"Yes I imagine you would" Snape murmured. "What were you going to tell Draco when I turned up?"

Anakin was about to answer when a voice spoke from behind them, "I think it was about the problem we ran into a few months ago, right Padawan?"

Snape and Anakin jumped. Harry stepped out from the shadows in an alcove next to the entrance to the Great Hall where he'd been standing. Snape glared at Harry in annoyance and snapped, "Great Merlin Potter were you deliberately trying to give us a heart attack?"

Harry smirked. "No, I would have thought that you would sense me, and if not you then Anakin definitely should have been able to. I wasn't hiding my presence at all."

Anakin looked slightly ashamed. "I felt safe with Professor Snape here, so I didn't have my senses activated like I normally would have. Sorry Master."

Harry looked at him and Snape suddenly realized what Anakin had meant when he said that Harry could turn from genial to stern in a second. After looking at Anakin for a few minutes Harry said quietly, "Keep your guard up at all times Anakin, remember who controls the castle. I don't want Dumbledore grabbing hold of you because you weren't paying attention."

"Ok Master. I won't forget again."

"See that you don't. Have you had lunch yet?" Anakin shook his head, so Harry indicated the doors behind him. "I was waiting for you to finish your chat with Draco. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Syra have eaten and are wandering around outside, as is Draco." Switching his gaze to Snape he added "I had a nice chat with him too by the way and we've arranged a truce."

Snape nodded and moved into the Great Hall, Harry walking beside him and Anakin falling back to walk slightly behind Harry. They separated to sit on opposite sides of the table that was set up, with Anakin seated beside Ginny, and Harry and Snape sitting next to each other.

The four split into two with their conversations, Harry and Snape, and Anakin and Ginny. Snape took the opportunity to quietly continue the earlier conversation, and Harry finally answered him.

"That little problem I mentioned earlier had to do with underage drinking and a certain recreational drug which can be quite lethal."

"Drugs? Ok I take it back Potter, you might have been an idiot but you wouldn't have touched drugs" Snape murmured, glancing at Anakin who was deep in conversation with Ginny.

"Mhmm, and Anakin won't be touching them ever again either" Harry said. "I intervened just before he was about to start using the drug. He was totally drunk but that was all. My reaction shocked him I think."

"Ok, now I'm curious. I suppose you blew up at him?"

"In a manner of speaking. I've learnt that a quiet tone does far more in terms of intimidation than yelling does. So, instead of yelling at him, I went all cold and quiet. You remember my second year, how Dumbledore looked at me and Ron, as if we'd let him down."

"Yes I remember. How does that have any bearing on, oh I see. Anakin doesn't like disappointing you so if you show him that he's done exactly that, then it works far better. How exactly did you punish him may I ask?"

Harry looked sideways at him. "Grounded him for 2 months, and put him on an electronic leash during that time."

"Electronic leash?"

"Tracking device, set so that if he left the Temple when he wasn't supposed to, I'd know about it. He also had to use itto check in a certain times as well. It was a way for him to regain my trust, which he lost with that stunt. He's regained it though, and I think that he's determined to do nothing to ever lose it again."

"He loves you, and looks up to you. It's to be expected that he wouldn't want to lose your trust again; you're far too untrusting as it is."

Harry smirked before looking over Anakin. Anakin chose that moment to look up and their eyes met. A small smile graced Harry's face and an answering smile crept over Anakin's before they looked away.

Harry rose, as he had finished, and headed towards the doors. Anakin didn't follow, as he was still engaged in conversation with Ginny, and from the way they were looking at Harry and then chuckling, the Knight surmised that they were discussing his student days again. Shaking his head, Harry stepped out onto the front steps and took in the sight of the grounds. Smiling he headed towards the lake, wanting to see if the giant squid was still alive.

He was halfway there when he spotted Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Syra heading towards him. In Qui-Gon's arms was a very familiar looking tabby cat, and Harry choked as he realized that Qui-Gon had no idea who he was holding. A mischievous smirk spread over his face before he schooled it to impassiveness.

'Now this I can have fun with' he thought with an inward grin.

"Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Syra, how do you like Hogwarts so far?"

"It's great Knight Potter, everything's brilliant. I'd never heard of pictures that talk or move, and talking mirrors, it's just, wow" Syra replied enthusiastically. Harry nodded and looked at the two senior Jedi.

"It's very beautiful" Qui-Gon remarked. Obi-Wan nodded agreement. Harry smirked and then rubbed the cat's head, behind the ears. Still rubbing the cat's head he said, "Did you know Padawan, that here, some wizards and witches can turn themselves into animals?"

"No, can they really?" Syra said eagerly. "Can you?"

Harry laughed. "Not yet Padawan but I'm hoping for lessons soon." Stopping his massage of the cat's ears he looked around and said "Isn't that right Professor McGonagall."

As the other three Jedi looked confused, the cat shivered and then transformed, leaving Qui-Gon with his arms wrapped round Professor McGonagall's waist. The Jedi Master let go almost instantaneously, and stepped back, blushing.

"I'm so sorry Ma'am" he said, before glaring at Harry who was looking innocently at them." Harry chuckled. "Not everything is as it appears here Qui-Gon" he said.

McGonagall had recovered herself enough to say, "That's quite alright Master Jinn, when I'm in my feline form I enjoy the same things that a normal cat would enjoy. The feline instincts take over in a small way although I'm still myself, I can think like a human and retain information the same way. It's what makes an Animagus a good spy if you have a need for one."

Turning to glare at Harry she continued, "Although, some of us seem to like making jokes at other's expense."

Harry shrugged. "Come on Minerva, it wasn't you I was getting at. It was a good joke." McGonagall shrugged and then replied, "I suppose so. Do you want to find out your animagus form now or later, after the Order meeting?"

"Now please, I want to be able to keep Dumbledore away from me as long as possible today."

McGonagall looked sharply at him. "Severus told you something, I know he was going to talk to you today. What did he tell you that set you even more against the Headmaster than you were already?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing really."

"Harry, you might not be a student anymore but I was close friends with your parents and I deserve the truth. Please, tell me."

Sighing, Harry turned round. "Can we go to your office, I don't want people overhearing."

McGonagall looked at him for a minute before turning and leading the way indoors to her office. Once inside the group of 5, for Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Syra had followed, sat down. Harry glanced round before looking at Syra.

"Padawan Veldt, I don't think you need to hear this. Would you please go and find Anakin, and remind him that that Ethics assignment he got the extension on has yet to be finished."

Syra looked undecided so Obi-Wan stepped in. "Do as he says Padawan, and while you're at it, you have assignments of your own to do. Do them in our rooms."

Syra nodded and stood, bowing to Obi-Wan, before bowing to both Qui-Gon and Harry and leaving in search of Anakin. With the apprentice gone, Harry looked at McGonagall.

"Silencing Charm please?" he asked. McGonagall looked at him before flicking her wand. "What is going on Harry?" she asked, exasperated.

"What do you know of Occlumency Minerva?" Harry asked.

"I have an Adept ranking in it. I was curious about it when I was a student so I learnt it. Severus and Dumbledore are Masters of the art I do know that. Why do you ask?"

"Can an Adept teach a student?"

"Yes they can. Why?"

Harry had got up with a snarl. "It makes Dumbledore's actions even more despicable then" he growled before swinging round to face Minerva.

"He told me that Professor Snape was the only person capable of teaching me Occlumency, then he forced Professor Snape to break his oath of causing no harm to students he might teach the art to. In forcing Professor Snape to break that oath, he forced him to mind-rape me. Those Occlumency lessons weren't to close my link with Voldemort, they were meant to widen it, and then Dumbledore hoped to use it to flush the Dark Idiot out and use me to kill him."

Minerva McGonagall prided herself on remaining in control of herself at all times, but hearing what her long time friend and one-time mentor had done to both Snape and Harry shocked her. Shaking her head she asked, "What do you intend to do about it?"

"Nothing at present. I will only bring it up if the right opportunity presents itself. Can we get started on the Animagus form now?"

Minerva seemed to snap back to herself and nodded before bringing out a mirror.

"This mirror is especially enchanted to show someone's Animagus form if they have one. Some people use a potion, but the mirror is quicker. Look into it and you'll see your form.

Harry looked into it and saw not one but two forms. One was a magnificent griffin, with an eagle head and neck, melding into the body of a lion and massive eagle wings on either side. The other was a black falcon, again fairly large. Both animals had piercing green eyes and a faint tuft of white feathers in the shape of a lightning bolt on their foreheads.

"Er, Professor. I've got two forms, is that normal?" he asked. McGonagall looked at him. "Yes it is. Most witches and wizards, if they have the capability for one, often have another lurking somewhere around. They simply choose which one to do that's all. My other form was a lioness."

"Very apt for the Head of Gryffindor" Harry said wryly. "What next Professor?"

"Now concentrate on which form you want to change into. Change your hand into the corresponding,…" McGonagall trailed off as Harry shivered and then changed into the black falcon. The bird looked around before flapping its wings and lifting off for a circuit of the room. It landed on McGonagall's shoulder and walked down her arm, before lifting off again and hovering over a clear patch of floor. It shivered again before turning into Harry again.

"Well, that was interesting" he said with a grin. Noticing the shocked looks being directed at him he said, "What?"

"Most people take a year or so learning how to change. I've never heard of anyone doing it like you just did. How did you do it?"

"I just concentrated on becoming the falcon and let its form superimpose itself over my human form. Then there was a sensation of changing and then I was a bird. I wonder if I could do the griffin form."

"Not in here Harry, maybe the Room of Requirement. You'll have to wait though, the Order meeting is soon. Harry wrinkled his nose but said nothing.

Finally after a 10 minute catch up session where Minerva was brought up to date on what had happened with Harry during the time he was with the Jedi, it was time for the Order meeting. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had left after the animagus demonstration, not really interested in learning how to turn themselves into an animal. They thought it was interesting in itself but weren't comfortable learning it themselves, and had gone down to mix and mingle with the Order members and the Ministry representatives, until Harry and McGonagall were ready to come down.

Harry and McGonagall walked down to the Great Hall, hearing voices from within when they got close. Sensing Anakin's presence Harry realized that Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon must have brought him and Syra down for the meeting.

Opening the doors he motioned to McGonagall to go first and as he entered he shut the doors behind him. It was time to meet with old friends and mend the bridges that had been broken when he'd left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Meetings and Confrontations**

"There is one thing I'd like to do while I'm here though" Harry said to McGonagall as he walked into the Great Hall where Dumbledore, Madame Bones, various members of the Order of the Phoenix and the rest of his Jedi friends were waiting. McGonagall stood next to him as Dumbledore stood up.

"Ah Harry, you're here. Good, now we can get down to business. First though, what did you want to do besides fighting this Dark Lord that's causing havoc here?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore and said calmly, "That's Knight Potter to you Headmaster and not that it's any of your business but I want to visit my parents' graves, and say goodbye properly. I've never had that chance."

Dumbledore looked taken aback. "Are you sure that's wise Harry? Your attention should really be focused on this war here; we need you to be the Chosen One again. I'm afraid I can't allow you to do what you want to do."

The temperature abruptly dropped as Harry narrowed his eyes at the old wizard. "Excuse me," he said in a deadly, and ice cold tone of voice. "I could have sworn you just forbade me to visit my parents' graves. Let me tell you something, Headmaster, you do NOT have any power over me in any way, shape or form. I am a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic. I am here to help but don't you dare presume to treat me like your little pawn again."

Dumbledore looked shaken, and then he did something very, very stupid. He opened his mouth. "Harry, I'm afraid for you. You've seen a lot of pain in your life. If you continue to fight me, then you risk following Tom's path. I don't want to see that happen."

Harry had turned away while Dumbledore was speaking but now he spun back round. The look in his eyes made even Snape take a few steps back and he found himself next to Anakin. The former spy leaned over to murmur in the Padawan's ear, "Was this what he was like when you had your little drugs adventure?" Anakin, not taking his eyes off his master replied softly, "Not quite. There are some similarities, his tone of voice for one, and the feeling that you're not quite sure what he's going to do next. It's different though."

Snape nodded before murmuring, "Even if it is different, I still feel sorry for you. It must have been unpleasant." Anakin nodded again before saying, "It was. I felt sorry for myself too, and one experience of it is quite enough thank you very much."

Meanwhile Harry was trying to get a grip on his temper. In an even more quiet, dangerous tone he hissed out, "You have no idea what darkness is old man. While you've been sitting here sucking on those lemon drops of yours, I've been out there, risking my neck fighting forces and entities that would make Voldemort shiver in fear." He took a deep breath and then hissed "I may be here to help but I'm not sticking around afterwards. I'm through with you, Hogwarts, and Earth and I swear, if you don't tell me where my parents are buried I will bring this pile of rock down round your ears and there will BE NO HOGWARTS!"

Harry turned on his heel and said over his shoulder, "I'm going to go fly for a bit to cool down, we can have this meeting later." As he was walking towards the door, Dumbledore shut and locked it with his wand. Harry turned back to face him, his eyes glowing with an anger that none of the Jedi had known that he possessed. Just then the windows of the Great Hall blew out in a spectacular series of explosions. Anakin in particular was caught between fascination and horror, and a realization that maybe, just maybe, he could open up to his master about the anger that resided within himself, without being judged for it. Dumbledore then waved his wand again and a holographic image of a young Tom Riddle appeared.

"Look at the physical similarities between yourself and Voldemort" Dumbledore announced. Looking at Harry, and at Tom, the onlookers had to admit that there were similarities, even Harry admitted that. The thing which sold the physical resemblance was the similar anger in the eyes of the two wizards. Then Anakin asked a question.

"Um, Master?" he started. Harry turned to look at his apprentice, and his gaze softened slightly as he reined in his temper with a huge effort while at the same time mentally reassuring Anakin that he wasn't annoyed at him via their bond.

"Yes Anakin" he replied. Anakin took a couple of steps closer and peered at the hologram. "Um, I know this is going to sound odd, and don't kill me for it but, are you sure that Voldemort isn't your father?"

Harry breathed out in a slightly frustrated fashion before letting a little of his normal humour slip through his annoyance and anger at Dumbledore. Walking to where his Padawan stood, he placed his hands on his shoulders, and bent his knees slightly so that their eyes were dead level. Speaking to Anakin, but in a loud enough voice that everyone else would hear as well he said, "If Voldemort were my father then I would have willingly taken a Killing Curse between the eyes long ago. I am not him."

Letting go of Anakin and stepping around him so that he was near to Dumbledore, Harry raised his eyes to meet those of his former mentor. With emphasis on every word the Jedi Knight said, "I am Harry James Potter, and I am a JEDI. NOTHING would ever make me turn to the Dark Side. If you still think that I would, Dumbledore, then you truly do not know me."

With that he turned into his falcon animagus form and flew out the window, leaving a stunned group of people behind him. That group soon split into two factions, one which supported Harry, and one which supported Dumbledore. It was amusing to notice that there was only one person on Dumbledore's side, himself. The rest, led by the Jedi were on Harry's side and they were not happy. Over the next hour they verbally shredded Dumbledore as the old wizard was forced to reveal that he'd known about Harry's abusive childhood and the manipulations over the years. For the senior Jedi it was confirmation of what they already knew. For Anakin it was an eye-opening view into his master's past, which explained much of how he was at the present. It also explained his views on manipulation, on politics, and on slavery and child abuse. Several slavers had met their end "accidentally" when Harry had rescued their captives, and he had gone to extraordinary lengths to keep Palpatine away from his Padawan. Anakin didn't fully understand why but he was sensible enough not to question Harry about it. Mace had to be restrained by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to stop him from killing Dumbledore. They weren't happy either but they realized that killing the old coot would lead to trouble they didn't need. Finally, the group exited as one, leaving Dumbledore alone to consider his mistakes, which had grown into a long list. Once outside they split up and Mace, Anakin and McGonagall went in search of Harry, to tell him the outcome of the meeting.

They found him at the top of the Astronomy Tower, looking out over the grounds. He turned slightly as they approached. "Hi everyone. What happened after I left?"

"Not much. Everyone pretty much ripped Dumbledore to pieces and they're worried about you. Ginny said something about checking Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Why would she say that?" Mace asked.

Harry chuckled bitterly. "Because the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in the bathroom. Only a Parselmouth can open it, and with Voldemort dead, I believe that I'm the only living Parselmouth unless there are others in different parts of the world."

"What's a Parselmouth?" Anakin asked. Harry smirked and then turned to McGonagall. "Could you conjure a snake Minerva?" The witch did so and Harry looked at it. As the small group watched, Harry hissed at the snake, which hissed back. After a series of hisses, Harry stepped back and nodded to McGonagall who vanished it.

"Parseltongue is the ability to talk to snakes Anakin. A Parselmouth is a wizard or witch with the ability to speak Parseltongue. Most British wizards and witches view it as a Dark talent. Just because Voldemort was a Parselmouth doesn't mean that every Parselmouth is Dark. I'm certainly not Dark and I'm a Parselmouth."

"Why did you come up here Harry?" McGonagall asked. Harry gave her a slightly sad look, and answered, "Because I can think better up here. I was going to fly but I wanted to stay on the ground in case you came looking for me."

He shook his head and then continued in a quieter tone, "How could he say that? How could he still believe that I would turn?"

"He's a manipulative bastard" Anakin growled. Harry glared at him and snapped, "Watch your language Padawan. I might agree with you but that's no reason to say it out loud." Softening his tone, he said, "I will not let him manipulate me like he did before, but can you see why I don't want you around him?"

"Yeah I can. I can't believe his nerve, thinking that he could tell you what to do. Even the Council have trouble with that and you like them."

Further conversation was stopped as Harry chuckled, before rolling on the floor in laughter. He finally regained his feet and affectionately ruffled Anakin's hair.

"Anakin, do me a favor will you. Never change. I needed that." Master and Padawan laughed even harder at Mace's grumbled, "I didn't."

As Harry headed for the staircase that led down inside the castle McGonagall stopped him. She held out a box, and looked at him with gentleness in her eyes that he'd never seen before.

"I believe you'll need this Harry. No one has been able to touch it since you left, it burnt anyone that tried."

Harry looked at her and then took off the lid. Inside was his wand, 11 inches of holly with a phoenix feather core. Slowly, he levitated it with the Force, not willing yet to touch it. Gently he closed his hand round it, ready to let go if it burnt him as well. There was no fear of that, the wand recognized its true master and settled in his hand, causing his aura to flare brightly like it had when he'd first got it, only more powerfully.

Bringing his wand to bear on one of the stones, Harry flicked it, and a beam of light shot out, reducing the stone to rubble. He then levitated one of the larger pieces and transfigured it with another flick and a thought of what he wanted it to look like. He grinned when he lifted the perfectly proportioned, miniature golden lion paperweight in his hand and presented it to McGonagall.

"Thankyou for everything you did for me Minerva" he said softly, before he transfigured another piece of stone into an arm holster and slid his wand into it. With his wand up his sleeve and his lightstaff on his belt, Harry finally felt properly armed for any battles that might come his way.

As they walked down to the Jedi suite as McGonagall called it, Anakin asked a question that had Harry feeling rather uncomfortable, and also had everyone that was with him looking at him and wanting an answer.

"Master, you don't trust Dumbledore any longer, I can sense that. But, what would you do if it came to a battle between the two of you?"

"It would depend on what type of battle you meant Anakin. Verbally, I'd win, but physically, I'm not sure."

"No I mean, what would you be feeling if he did force a fight?" Harry stopped and faced Anakin, the uncertainty showing clearly in his eyes. "I'm not sure Padawan. I will never trust him again, that much I am certain of, and it hurts to say that. He was my mentor, and no matter what happened between us, I was hoping for some sort of reconciliation. I don't think that that's going to happen anymore but I'm not sure whether I could fight him. Think about how you would feel if you were forced to fight me, in an all out, no holds barred duel, where one or the other of us would die. How would you feel?"

Anakin thought about it and then shook his head. "I'm not sure Master. I'm sorry for asking." Harry shook his head. "Don't be Anakin, if you didn't ask it someone else would have. I'm just not sure about my answer."

Anakin nodded and they walked back to the suite in companionable silence. Whey they got there they found a crowd consisting of the Weasleys, Remus, Tonks and Kingsley. Harry closed his eyes and fought the urge to Banish them all to the lake before reminding himself that he needed to hear them out and it would do nothing towards healing the breach between them if he went with his first instinct. Opening his eyes he said, "I suppose you want to talk to me."

"Yes Knight Potter we do" Remus answered. Harry looked at the werewolf in surprise, and was met with a slightly bitter smile. "I heard what you said to Dumbledore, and I am well aware that I also lost your trust 16 years ago. I'm not going to alienate you further by addressing you in a manner that you haven't allowed me to use."

Harry smiled. "Thankyou Remus. You've just gained a higher chance of forgiveness." Sweeping his gaze over the group Harry continued, "Let's go in."

They all crowded into the common room which expanded itself to hold them all comfortably. The assembled group of Weasleys, along with the two Aurors and Remus looked apprehensive, while Harry was keeping his expression neutral, giving them no hint of his feelings.

As the silence got more uncomfortable, Harry finally broke it. Giving his audience a stare that seemed to go right through them he said, "Why are you here?"

He was met with looks of disbelief and then Ron said, "To apologise. We're not expecting you to forgive us but we do want to apologise."

Harry looked hard at his once best friend and then smiled slightly. "Let's hear it then. You first."

Ron swallowed. Harry was more intimidating now than he was when he left and he didn't like being the one to go first. Summoning his courage he rose and walked straight up to Harry.

"Hit me" was all he said. Harry raised an eyebrow. "You want me to hit you" he clarified. Ron nodded. "You know I'm not good at talking about feelings, so if you hit me first I'll be able to apologise."

"It's going to hurt" Harry warned. Ron nodded. "I know, but not nearly as much as we hurt you."

Harry was surprised that Ron wanted him to punch him but he wasn't about to ignore his request. Drawing back his arm he broke Ron's nose with a textbook right hook that had a good amount of power behind it. Ron hit the floor and curled up, groaning. When he got to his feet he muttered,

"Damn mate you hit almost as hard as Hermione used to." Harry smirked. "If you can't talk now then we'll talk later tonight. I'll give you a bit of time to recover."

Ron nodded and sat back down, muttering "Thanks mate" although it was muffled from him trying to stem the bleeding from his nose. Harry wordlessly handed him a tissue and Ron took it, pressing it to his nose.

Switching his gaze to the rest of the Weasleys Harry smirked slightly. "Bill, Charlie, you didn't know me as well as the rest of your family. I'm going to make some assumptions here, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. You didn't know me, so when your family started saying that I was a delusional psychotic nutcase you believed them without bothering to look further."

Bill and Charlie nodded, both looking a bit ashamed. "We didn't know you as well as the rest of our family but we should have looked further. We're sorry."

Harry nodded. "You're really only guilty of believing your family, which I can't fault you for. I'm willing to forgive you as long as you remember one thing. No matter how things might appear on the surface, it won't always mirror what's underneath."

Bill and Charlie nodded, thankful that they were being allowed off the hook. Harry's gaze next turned to the twins who shivered under the stern look, which had grown colder than it had previously been.

"Gred and Forge, I must say that I'm disappointed. What reason do you have for turning your backs on me?"

The twins shared a look. Speaking in that weird way that they'd perfected over the years they said, "We didn't turn our backs on you mate. We might have said that to everyone but we were members of your support club."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, it would seem that I was wrong about you. Still, simply because I need test subjects, your way of getting back into my good books will be through helping me test a few pranks over the next few weeks, as well as showing me what Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has come up with over the past 16 years. I haven't forgotten those portable swamps."

Fred and George looked relieved. "Pranks Harry? Since when did you do pranks?" Fred asked.

Harry smirked. "Since I took up my Marauder heritage. I am the son of Prongs, the godson of Padfoot and the former student of Moony. Wormtail was a traitor so we won't count him."

As the twins were gaping at him, Harry turned to Arthur and Molly and his expression changed from a cold yet neutral look, to one of disappointment and hurt. Both Weasley parents flinched slightly, but to their credit didn't try to look away.

The rest of the Weasleys looked uncomfortable. Noticing this Harry said "This might get uncomfortable for you, feel free to leave if you wish."

Ron, Fred, George, Bill and Charlie promptly got up and left, following the path that Mace, Anakin and Minerva had taken earlier, when they'd left Harry to deal with the group on his own as he'd silently requested.

"Tonks, Kingsley, I'm not quite sure what you're doing here. You were doing your jobs that day, and I know that you didn't like what happened at the trial. You're still my friends, there's nothing to forgive with you."

The two Aurors gaped at him for a minute before closing their eyes and visibly relaxing. "Thank you Harry" Tonks said softly. Harry nodded before motioning towards the door. Tonks and Kingsley took the hint and quickly left, leaving Molly, Arthur and Remus alone with Harry.

"Of all of the people here you and Ron were the ones that knew me the best. Mr and Mrs Weasley, you were my surrogate parents. I was looking forward to someday calling you my in-laws. Remus, you were my parent's friend, and my teacher. I did think of you as something like an uncle. Do you know how much you all hurt me when I was sent to Azkaban? Mr and Mrs Weasley, just because Dumbledore believed me guilty, didn't mean that you had to swallow your opinions and blindly believe him. I'm disappointed that you did that. You turned on me, what I want to know is why."

Turning to Remus, Harry's eyes darkened. "You were my last link to my parents Remus. Do you know how much I hurt when you compared me to Wormtail? I can assure you that my parents are not happy in the least with what you said, and they and Sirius have told me many times that what you said was wrong and unfair. I hope you've got a good explanation for why you saw fit to hurt me the way you did."

There was a short silence before Arthur Weasley spoke, his voice soft and strained.

"Knight Potter, we, we want to apologise. We shouldn't have believed Dumbledore the way we did, you're right about that. We didn't support you like we should have and we are deeply ashamed of that. The only explanation we can offer is that Dumbledore convinced us that you were guilty, and you know how persuasive he can be."

Harry nodded. He didn't like the fact that his surrogate family had been manipulated into hating him but still, they had had a choice. They had just chosen to not fight the manipulation.

"Remus? What's your explanation for what happened?"

The werewolf looked shaken. He had looked hopeful when Harry had forgiven the other Weasleys but was now realizing that he had left the hardest ones for last. Clearing his throat he said, "I'm not sure I can explain properly. I, it was like I was overcome. You know that I'm a werewolf, what you don't know is that under stressful conditions the wolf takes more control than the human. I didn't stop to consider that the evidence might be faked, and I should have. There was one time when I considered that you had been set up and I went to Dumbeldore with the news. He told me that he knew that I wanted to believe you but the evidence was clear, you were guilty. He managed to persuade me that you were guilty and after that he wouldn't let me near you to find out the truth. What I said at the trial, I was feeling angry and hurt, and I chose the words that I knew would hurt you worst. I have no excuse for that and I'm sorry."

Harry nodded in silent acceptance of the explanations. Now he had to consider what to do. The Weasleys had chosen to believe fake evidence and had also been manipulated by Dumbledore into thinking that way. Remus had also been subtly manipulated too, but Harry also had to get over what he'd said at Harry's trial. He sighed, and faced the trio who were still sitting on the couch.

"I can't say I'm overly pleased with any of you. To paraphrase Dumbledore, you chose to do what was easy over what was right. You threw away what you knew of me, and believed faked evidence. If you had talked to me you would have discovered the facts of the case far quicker."

Harry stopped, as it looked like Molly was close to breaking down in tears. Remus looked little better while Arthur seemed to be holding back his emotions through willpower alone. Softening his tone slightly, Harry continued, "However, sixteen years is long enough to consider what you could have done differently and I can sense that you're genuinely sorry for hurting me so I will say this. You have my forgiveness for what happened but you will have to earn my trust again. Oh, and, in the spirit of forgiveness, stop calling me Knight Potter. My name is Harry. That bit about my title was really only for Dumbledore although it speaks well of you that you used it until I gave you permission to do otherwise."

Remus looked up and said, "Do you mean it Harry?" Harry nodded and then pulled Remus to his feet and hugged him hard. "You're an idiot but sixteen years is too long to hold a grudge and I won't deprive you ofyour last link to my parents."

Releasing Remus he then hugged Molly and shook hands with Arthur. "Don't throw me away again, I don't think Ginny would ever forgive you if you did" he said with a small grin. Arthur shook his head.

"She wouldn't, it was only the underage magic laws that protected us from her Bat Bogey hexes during the summer between her sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts. You do know that she still loves you?"

Harry looked at him and replied evenly, "She has a funny way of showing it. Yes I do know, but I'm not going to rush things. I need to see if we're still compatible, I've changed, as has she and I refuse to hurt her by trying to build a relationship if the feelings aren't there."

"Wise move, just don't hide yourself behind barriers, let her in and give her a chance to show you how much she cares."

Harry nodded. "I'm going to, don't worry. I need to talk to Moony in private for a minute so why don't you go and acquaint yourself with my Padawan and my friends."

Remus looked oddly at Harry. "Moony Harry?" he asked. Harry grinned. "Yes, Moony. I need a Marauder name, actually two of them. The common room should be big enough."

"Big enough for what Harry?" Remus asked before gasping in shock as the Jedi Knight transformed into a massive griffin. The large animal took a walk round the room before changing back into Harry again.

"I'm almost afraid to ask but you said two names Harry?" Remus said once he'd got his mouth working again. Harry grinned and then replied, "Surely you haven't forgotten my exit from the Great Hall earlier Moony."

Remus thought for a few seconds and then remembered the falcon that Harry had transformed into. He smirked and then said, "A Marauder indeed Harry. Well, how about Farsight for the falcon and I'll need time to come up with a name for your griffin form. It's magnificent by the way."

"It is yes. Can I join you the next full moon?"

"That depends. Would you be bringing your apprentice along? I don't think Moony would appreciate being smacked on the nose again."

Harry laughed and then said, "I'm not sure, you might want to mention that to him and see what his reaction is."

Chuckling, the two Marauders walked out and down to the Great Hall, where the Order would once again try to hold their interrupted meeting. The Order members were hoping that this time things would go smoothly but with the two most powerful wizards in Britain being at odds with one another, the members privately thought that that hope was a vain one.

**Author Note**

**Hello everyone, I'm back again. My uniform is finished and ready to go, which I'm very happy about so I can shift back to fanfic writing in earnest. I need a name for Harry's griffin form, as I'm having trouble with thinking one up. Suggestions would be much appreciated. Oh and for those that were asking about Jedi Wizard, I have the next chapter in my email box but Pwn Master Paladin is in charge of updating and I haven't talked to him recently about it. I can say that it is a very good chapter and once we do update the story it will have been worth the wait.**

**Happy reading and May the Force be with you**

**Padawan Lynne**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Meetings and Accidents**

The Order meeting was carried off without fireworks this time for which everyone was grateful. Dumbledore was quieter and more respectful of Harry, addressing him as Knight Potter when he talked to him and he made no mention of Harry possibly turning Dark. Harry was also grateful for the quietness; he hadn't liked the confrontation earlier and wanted a bit of peace between them. He had wondered at the absence of Hikari and also Neville Longbottom until he heard that they were at St Mungo's.

He smiled; it would seem that Neville was going to take advantage of having a mind healer around to see if his parents could be brought out of their insanity. From what Hikari had said, it was possible that the two Longbottoms were trapped in their minds, having withdrawn to protect themselves from the torture that Bellatrix Lestrange had inflicted on them. Harry wished Neville luck; it would be good for him if he could get his parents back. He spared a brief moment to wish he could do the same, before telling himself that in a way, he already had. Although he couldn't hug them or really touch them, they were with him.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts as he realized that the meeting had broken up, with the general decision being to look into anticipating the attacks and preventing as many deaths as possible. Harry thought it odd that there hadn't been more deaths yet, this current Dark Lord seemed more bent on gaining the public's obedience through fear, not through mass casualties. He also thought it odd that the deaths so far had been caused through people being hurt as they panicked and ran away from the attackers. No deaths had yet been caused by the Unforgivables which Harry was interested by.

"What are the Unforgivables Master?" Anakin asked, having heard Harry's musings. Harry turned to him and replied, "The three curses that are known as the Unforgivable Curses are the Imperius curse which gives the caster total mental control of the victim. The Cruciatus curse causes horrible agony and can drive the victim insane or kill them if it's held long enough. The final Unforgivable is the Killing curse, which is pretty self explanatory. If you use any one of those three curses on a human being you get an automatic one way ticket to prison, with a life sentence."

"Interestingly enough, the curses were at one point used in Healing, and they are only Unforgivable now when used on a human being" Draco pointed out, having heard the question and its answer. Harry and Anakin turned to look at him, Anakin looking shocked while Harry looked thoughtful.

"Yes I can see how they would be used in Healing" he said finally. Draco smirked before adding, "I wonder what the Ministry would say if they knew that Parseltongue spells were used as Healing spells in ancient times. There is a reason why the ancient symbol of medicine was a snake wrapped round a staff after all."

Harry nodded in agreement. Draco grinned, a challenging gleam in his eyes. "Potter, can you still fly a broom? I'd like to see if I could finally beat you." Harry grinned, and then replied, "I could outfly you on the first day of flying lessons in our first year, and I'd never been on a broom before. Of course I can still fly a broom."

Draco held out a broom, which Harry saw was his Firebolt. "How, how did you get this, I thought it was burnt" he said, shocked. Draco smiled slightly.

"Ginny saved it, along with your photo album and the invisibility cloak. Take it Potter, let's see if you're still as good as you once were."

Harry smirked before slinging the broom over his shoulder and heading towards the front doors, Anakin following him. There was a mass exodus following them once word got round that Harry Potter was about to take to the sky again.

"Are you sure this is safe Harry?" Obi-Wan asked. Harry smirked before replying, "Relax brother, I'll be fine. Watch."

He threw a leg over the broom and took off, reveling in the feel of the wind rushing through his hair. He couldn't help himself when he let out a whoop of sheer delight. He performed rolls and dives, getting used to the feel of the broom again.

Turning sharply he noticed Draco flying near him. "The Snitch is being let out Potter, want to try and beat me?"

Harry snorted. "I should be asking you that Malfoy, who was it that lost every game to me that he played?" Draco narrowed his eyes.

"We'll just see who the better player is now then won't we" he snapped as he flew off to the other end of the field. As the Order gathered below, the two rivals waited for the Snitch to show itself. They circled the pitch, eyes darting everywhere, too caught up in the search to spare the time to insult each other, even though they were taking it as friendly insults and neither really meant what they were saying.

There was a flash of gold to Harry's left and he flew after it, sensing Draco coming up behind him in hot pursuit. Up and around the towers, around the gardens and straight towards a window before veering sharply right they flew, with Harry gaining on the Snitch.

The golden ball then flew upwards and leveled off at a respectable height before diving. Harry and Draco followed it, neither giving up.

Down below the spectators were almost breathless at the daring flying display that was being enacted. The Jedi in particular were awed.

"He's even better on that broom than he is in a starfighter" Mace murmured. Qui-Gon nodded in agreement before replying, "Yes, I wish Adi could see this, she'd be green with envy." The pair chuckled before picking up Obi-Wan's comment to Anakin, "Your Master is crazy. I thought his driving and piloting was hair raising but this is suicide."

Anakin shook his head. "I disagree Knight Kenobi; he's in full control and loving every second of it. I wish I could fly like that."

Obi-Wan looked at him in horror. "In a few more years you might very well be able to, and then we'll have two dare-devils to contend with. I will admit that he is very good at what he does though."

Anakin shook his head and returned to watching Harry fly. "It's like he was born with wings" he murmured. Sora, who had come down from the hospital wing where he'd been discussing Harry's past injuries with Poppy Pomfrey, spoke from behind him.

"He should have been. Poppy has told me that he's always been happiest when he's in the air. He seems relaxed, happy, and alive. It's good for him."

Just then there was a shriek as Ginny closed her eyes. "They're going to crash" she yelped. Draco and Harry were indeed very close to the ground. Draco pulled out of the dive, only just skimming the grass. Harry, however, pulled up his broom, when it was almost too late and decided to do a bit of broom surfing. Jumping up onto the broom, he leaned forward reaching for the Snitch.

He grabbed the little ball out of the air and stopped the broom by gently pressing the back down a bit. The broom stopped and Harry jumped off it, dropping the Snitch into Draco's hand.

"You lose again Ferret" he said with a smile. Draco snarled in frustration and said, "Go back to your Republic Potter, and leave me to rule the sky here in peace."

Harry laughed and slung his broom over his shoulder, turning to face the crowd that had gathered to watch. He didn't care so much about the Order members but he had to laugh at the shocked and slightly sick look on Obi-Wan's face, as well as the admiring one on Anakin's. The other Jedi had hidden their outward reactions but the awe and pride clearly radiated through the Force. Anakin walked quickly towards him and the first thing he said had the senior Jedi groaning.

"Can I have one of those Master?" he asked. Harry smirked. "If we go to Diagon Alley and if my accounts have enough money in them then yes I suppose so" he replied easily. Anakin's eyes lit up and Harry wondered if he might not have made a mistake. He quickly added a condition to what he'd said.

"Anakin, if I see you flying it down the corridors or anything like that, then I'll confiscate it, understood?"

"Understood Master, but I could always outfly you" the Padawan replied with a grin. Harry shook his head. "Were you not watching just now Anakin? The chances of you outflying me are very slim and I would advise you not to try."

Anakin merely snorted before asking, "Can we go to Diagon Alley now?"

Harry shrugged and 10 minutes later, courtesy of a Portkey supplied by Dumbledore, a group consisting of all the Jedi, Tonks, Ron and Ginny were standing in Diagon Alley. Well, everyone but Harry was standing, as Harry had managed to once again land in an ungraceful heap on the ground. He rose and dusted himself off, while his friends were politely trying not to laugh. Harry merely growled inwardly and walked off towards Gringotts Bank with the rest of the group trailing behind him, the Jedi looking round in wonder at the all the shops. Once inside the bank they got in a cart and rode down to Harry's vault. The trip to the vault was exhilarating for Harry and Anakin, and terrifying for the rest. Only the two speed demons could enjoy the break-neck pace the cart set and all of the rest looked rather sick when the cart finally stopped outside Harry's vault. Harry jumped out and looked curiously at the vault the goblin was standing beside.

"This doesn't look like my usual vault" he said. The goblin smiled, showing two rows of sharp teeth. "That's because the vault you previously used was your trust vault Mr Potter, this one is your family vault. Just step up to the door, place your hand inside the circle and state your full name."

Harry did as ordered, and felt a rush of warmth from the door as it recognized him as a Potter. The door creaked open and Harry stared into a hall-like room, holding lots of weapons, money and other things scattered around. Harry walked to the back, where there was a piece of parchment that detailed the contents of the vault.

Reading over it he saw that there was more than enough money for a whole Quidditch team's worth of brooms so getting one for Anakin was not going to be a problem. Thinking for a minute he grabbed a bag from the floor, which appeared to be enchanted to be bigger on the inside than the outside and started filling it with galleons. After he'd put about a quarter of the available money in it he handed it to Anakin.

"Keep this safe, we'll need it later" he said before turning back to examining the vault contents. One thing he found was a beautiful sword, which he took out of its sheath and held up. Testing the balance, he found it was almost perfect for him. Shrugging he put it back in its sheath and attached the sheath to his belt. He might as well take it with him, even if he didn't find any immediate use for it.

Grabbing another bag he put some more money into it and then walked out nodding to the goblin who closed the door behind him.

"Let's go back to the surface, we have some shopping to do" he said, grinning as Obi-Wan looked decidedly unenthusiastic about climbing back into the cart. For that matter, so did the rest. After another wild cart ride they arrived at the lobby and walked out of the bank.

The first stop was Quality Quidditch Supplies where Harry got Anakin his own Firebolt. Although there were faster brooms now available, he preferred the Firebolt, as if Anakin tried any idiotic stunts on it, then he would be able to catch him easier than if Anakin was on a faster broom. With a broom in hand, Harry led the way to Madam Malkins. There he was fitted for a dragonhide vest, boots and pants. Anakin ended up being fitted for the same things. There were charms on the clothing designed so that it would grow with the wearer. This would not be necessary for Harry but for Anakin it was a necessity. The rest of the Jedi declined the offer, as did Tonks and Remus.

As they exited the shop and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron Mace decided to question Harry's shopping choices. "Harry why did you get that dragonhide armor?"

"Dragonhide is very resistant to spells, so it makes sense that they would protect us from laser bolts as well. It's merely a bit more protection that's all" Harry answered absently. He was looking forward to returning to Hogwarts and giving Anakin a lesson in broom flying. Anakin was also looking forward to it as well.

They took another Portkey back to Hogwarts, and Harry snarled as once again he landed ungracefully on the floor. This time there was no mistaking the muffled snickers coming from the group behind him and he turned round with a deceptively mild expression on his face. With one slight movement of his hand he Banished them all to the lake, before heading up to the Hospital Wing. He wanted to make sure that everything was in working order, and he needed to talk with Ginny.

He found his way to the hospital wing easily enough, recalling the many times he'd walked, or been levitated along, this path before. He entered to see Poppy Pomfrey and Ginny Weasley talking about a new potion for headaches. They broke off the conversation when he entered though. Poppy stood up and came walking over to him.

"Harry Potter, I never would have thought I'd see the day that you'd come in here willingly" she said, but she had a smile on her face so Harry didn't feel annoyed. He grinned and sat down on one of the beds, before swinging his legs up and lying back saying, "Ah, my favorite bed, did you ever put that plaque up like you threatened to do Madam Pomfrey?"

"It's Poppy, Harry and no I didn't. While you're here though I want a full medical scan, I want to see if those Jedi Healers know what they're doing" the nurse replied, before she began running a series of diagnostic scans on him. Harry rolled his eyes but submitted to the scan, knowing that she wouldn't stop until she was finished. He took the opportunity to look at Ginny properly for the first time since he'd returned.

The first thing he noticed was her height. She'd grown taller, and developed more in certain areas than she had when she was 15. Her self-confidence and bossiness had grown as well, if her actions when she'd first spoken to him this time were any indication. Gently probing her with the Force, the Jedi Knight realized two things, one she was a strong, confident woman, more than capable of standing up to him if he chose to pursue a relationship, and two, that she was still in love with him, but was unsure about making the first move. Sighing, Harry realized that he would have to make a decision while he was here, first, whether he truly loved her or not, and if he did, what he was going to do about it. Harry wasn't about to engage in a long-distance relationship as he thought it would be unfair to both himself and Ginny. Just then their eyes met as she sensed his gaze.

"What are you thinking about Harry?" she asked softly. Harry blinked and replied just as softly "You actually. You've changed Ginny. So have I."

"I still love you though" Ginny said, her eyes fixed on his. Just then Poppy interrupted with a cough. "As much fun as it is to see the courting habits of a Jedi Knight, you can continue this outside the hospital wing. You've got a clean bill of health Harry, you can go. Both of you shoo."

Grinning, Harry got off the bed and walked out of the Hospital Wing, with Ginny by his side. They walked down to the front doors, wanting to continue the discussion outside and were met at the door with a group of sopping wet Jedi and Aurors. Harry took one look at their faces and mock-shivered.

"Ginny, would you like to go for a fly?" he asked. Ginny looked at him and nodded.

"OK but why are you," she squeaked as Harry grabbed her, Force leaped over the heads of the wet group in front of them and dashed out of the doors. Tonks and Kingsley tried to stop him but Harry transformed into his griffin form in mid air, and flew up into the air, with Ginny on his back. Anakin decided to give chase; he grabbed his new broom and took off after Harry and Ginny.

For a few minutes Anakin chased the griffin form of his master, wondering why Harry had headed for the Quidditch pitch. He found out as Harry dropped Ginny on the stands and transformed back, taking his shrunken broom from the pocket of his robe. Unshrinking it he took off again, this time reveling in the chase, leading Anakin on a mid-air dance, forcing Anakin to follow him. The first broom flying lesson was on and though it wasn't supposed to be at high speed, Harry wanted to see if his apprentice, who had been Podracing at nine years old could handle the speed. On the level, when he was going straight it would appear as though he could, although turning provided a few wobbles until he got used to it. Harry wasn't about to try diving yet though, that would be left for later.

Suddenly Anakin noticed the small group of people watching in the stands, Ginny had been joined by her brother, Ron, Tonks, Kingsley, Mace and Remus. Shaking off the knowledge that they were being watched, he focused on Harry again, whohad turned and begun descending towards the ground, at a leisurely pace. Swinging his broom around, Anakin followed, passing Harry who was diving at a shallower angle. He was caught up in the exhilaration of the dive, not realizing how close the ground was getting.

Up above him Harry could see that Anakin was going too fast to be able to pull up in time. His Padawan had seemingly forgotten to use the Force to gauge distance and speed the way that Harry had taught him. Fearing that Anakin would kill himself in a crash, Harry dove after him, his experience allowing him to catch up with the Padawan.

The spectators could only watch in silent horror as Anakin lost control of the broom he was riding, and fell off. They then watched as Harry caught him but was too close to the ground to safely pull out of the dive. In a cloud of dust and dirt the two hit the ground, Harry turning them in mid air so he hit first, and acted as a cushion for Anakin.

When the dust cleared, Anakin moved slightly, rolling off Harry. In a daze he looked round before spotting his master. He crawled closer to Harry and shook him.

"Master? Master wake up. Please." Harry wasn't responding though, and his eyes were closed. As Anakin shook him more frantically, the spectators came running up, Ginny and Mace in the lead. The Jedi Master pulled Anakin away from Harry and held him while Ginny scanned him quickly. Both Jedi slumped in relief when she turned and told them, "He's unconscious but not badly damaged. He'll need to go to the hospital wing immediately though."

She silently conjured a stretcher and placed Harry's unresponsive form on it. Anakin reached out and picked up one of Harry's hands. "Master? I'm sorry." He was about to drop the hand when he felt a brief squeeze and then the tired mental voice of his master came through their bond.

_Anakin. Don't be sorry. You lost control of the broom. It means you need more flying lessons and you need to use the Force when flying a broom the way you do when flying a speeder or a starfighter. I'll be fine, just ask Poppy. Now I need to sleep though. See you later._

With that Harry's hand went limp again and his mental voice faded out. Checking their bond Anakin was relieved to find that Harry was indeed not in much danger, just unconscious and in a healing trance. That didn't stop him from walking up with Ginny though.

As the stretcher left the Quidditch pitch Ron said with a deadpan expression, "Things never bloody change do they."

**Author Note**

**Hello. I have had a few good suggestions for Griffin names, and that will be decided next chapter. As for his appearance, he is fairly large, larger than a normal lion. He has an eagle head and neck with black feathers, melding into a golden yellow lion body, and the tail is a lion's tail with a black tuft at the end of it. His eyes are green and he has a small patch of white feathers on his forehead where his scar would be. I have also been informed that Farsight is apparently a character from the Narnia series. I didn't know this when I wrote it, it has been a long time since I read the books. It was not intentional, I was merely thinking about a falcon's eyesight. Chapter nine will be started soon, once I recover from writing this one. I will be busy for the next couple of weeks so don't expect a very fast update on it. I will write it as soon as possible though. Thankyou for all of your reviews, I do take them seriously even if I don't reply to each and every one. They are all appreciated though.**

**May the Force be with you**

**Padawan Lynne**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Prophecies, Discussions and Problems Revealed.**

Harry woke up to the sound of "Harry James Potter only a half hour after I gave you a clean bill of health you go and end up back in here. Why you insist on flying like that I'll never know."

He cracked one eye open, seeing Poppy's indignant face hovering above him. Giving her a crooked smile he said, "I do it just so I don't deprive my favorite nurse of the fun of putting me back together again." Poppy huffed but she had a smile on her face as she went about finishing treating his injuries. Turning his head he saw Anakin asleep in a chair, in such an unnatural position that it made him wince. Using the Force he levitated his Padawan into the bed next to him, and smirked when Anakin automatically stretched out while not waking up.

A soft cough told him that someone was on his other side. Turning his head the other way he saw Mace and Ginny. Both looked worried, but then relieved when he smiled at them.

"Hey guys. I'm not that easy to kill am I?" he said. Mace snorted and replied, "We already knew that Harry, you didn't have to give us a demonstration of your indestructibility." Ginny chimed in with, "Yeah, you great prat, you really scared us."

Harry looked pained for a moment. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to stop Anakin from being hurt. How is he?"

"He'll be fine. Thanks to you he only got a few bruises, as well as the scare of his life, seeing you lying on the ground unconscious. I want to talk to you though, our earlier conversation was interrupted and I want to finish it."

Harry looked at her and then slowly nodded. "OK. Just let me sneak out of here and we can talk all you want." Ginny nodded before Harry frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just that when I'm strong enough again, which should be tomorrow, I need to continue Anakin's training. We haven't got a lot of sparring practice in and we need to keep in shape. Is the Room of Requirement still working?"

"As far as I know."

"Good."

Harry closed his eyes again and slipped into a healing trance, directing the Force to heal what remained of his injuries. There wasn't very much as Madam Pomfrey had done a good job as per usual. Mace and Ginny slipped out, recognizing that Harry wouldn't be awake until later and that he needed to sleep and finish healing.

Later on, in the evening, Harry awoke, feeling refreshed. Sensing someone watching him he turned his head to see Anakin watching him. The Padawan looked awful, like he hadn't slept well even though he had in fact slept earlier.

"Hey demon" he said, using the affectionate nickname that he'd given Anakin in the first few weeks of his apprenticeship. Anakin grinned. "Hey Master. How are you feeling?"

"Never better." Noticing Anakin's disbelieving look he said "Seriously, I'm fine. You look like hell though."

"Yeah well I was worried about you. I thought I'd killed you or something."

Harry chuckled. "I'm not so easy to kill Anakin. I've crashed a few times before, and once fell off my broom from about 300 feet. Just remember that the ground is always closer than you think when flying a broom. It's not as solid as a starfighter or a Podracer."

Breaking off, Harry glanced round the ward. Giving Anakin a conspiratorial grin he used their bond and said,

_Now, how about helping me break out of here_

_But Master, Madam Pomfrey will kill you_

_I think she expects me to make an attempt, she'd be insulted if I didn't try._

_Do or do not there.._

_Yes Padawan you don't need to quote Master Yoda at me_

_OK. Coast's clear let's go._

Harry and Anakin snuck out of the hospital wing, believing themselves unseen. They were wrong. In her office, Poppy smirked, and watched the two Jedi tiptoeing out the door. She always knew who left and who didn't; no one could enter her domain or leave it, unobserved. Smirking again she waited a few minutes to give them time to clear the corridor and then left. It was time to go and have some dinner; she'd been looking forward to it all day.

Dinner was an odd affair. Gathered in the Great Hall were the entire Order of the Phoenix, the other staff members who weren't part of the Order but who stayed at Hogwarts during the summer, and the Jedi.

There was no formal seating order as the tables were small and circular so Harry found himself between Remus and Trelawney with the rest of the Weasleys seated round the rest of the table. Remus he liked, Trelawney he didn't like so much. He was able to draw the Divination teacher into a discussion of her subject, and the talk eventually came round to visions. Trelawney was skeptical of the Jedi being able to see visions from the Force, while Harry was equally skeptical of tea leaf reading. At last both agreed to disagree on the subject. The other conversations were much more interesting.

Sora was busy talking to Dumbledore, and doing a good job of convincing the old wizard of the benefits of soul healing. Dumbledore, after telling Sora of the use of Horcruxes through history asked him if it was possible to rejoin the soul back together after splitting it.

Sora, who was horrified that a wizard would deliberately split their soul into pieces through murder, then considered the question. The final answer he gave was that he didn't know and if it was possible, it would most likely be extremely difficult and complicated. The Jedi Healer then gave Dumbledore a penetrating look and asked why he was interested.

"No reason. My sources told me that Voldemort was investigating creating one before his demise at the hands of Knight Potter. Not much is known about them, and the method of creating one has never been written down to my knowledge. It is the darkest of the dark arts, as you might imagine."

"Mhmm, I can imagine. Regardless of that, I don't have a good answer for you."

The Weasley family was busy reacquainting themselves with Harry, and getting to know his friends who were seated at the table next to them. They were initially nervous around the Jedi but after Mace and Qui-Gon made it clear that if Harry forgave them, so did they, things ran smoother. Harry himself was busy catching up with Remus and Ginny.

"So have you come up with a nickname for my Griffin form yet Moony?" Harry asked. Remus was going to reply but was distracted as Fred and George turned into red-furred weasels. The transformation lasted a few seconds and then wore off. As one the twins turned to Harry and raised their eyebrows. Harry smirked at them, and then quietly laughed as they checked their food and drink for other hidden items. It was a pity that the next trap was in their room. The room had been charmed so that when they got up the next morning they would find their room liberally strewn with pranks, in a manner such that they wouldn't be able to get out of being hit with at least one, and hopefully more.

Turning back to Remus he raised an eyebrow. Remus looked at him and then said quietly, "I like Goldshadow personally, and your coloring suggests it nicely. Thinking again he then smirked and said. "We could use Goldshadow for your official Marauder name and use Kit in public. No one would be expecting a griffin if someone said, hey Harry turn into Kit."

Harry thought for a moment and then grinned. "I like it. Mr Goldshadow, aka Kit humbly thanks Mr Moony for his most splendid names and begs him to use Kit only in private."

Remus smirked and then said, "Mr Moony makes no such promises as he is a Marauder to the bone and therefore would love the chance to embarrass Mr Goldshadow at every opportunity."

Harry groaned and shook his head before stiffening. Trelawney had gone rigid and begun to shake slightly.

"Is something wrong with her Harry?" Qui-Gon asked. Harry shook his head. "Vision" he said tightly. "This is what she's like when she makes a true prophecy, she never remembers it afterwards."

Everyone leant forwards to hear better as Trelawney began speaking.

"He comes from the great sands, the chosen of light.

Raised by the one who knows darkness but lives in the light.

To darkness the chosen one will fall,

But by the light of the mentor and the lover will he return.

And together they will bring forth a great light to all the worlds."

As she finished speaking, there was a dead silence before all eyes swiveled to Harry who had slowly lowered his head onto the table. Anakin broke the uneasy silence by asking, "OK what was all that about. Who is it referring to?"

"I think it's you Anakin" Harry said quietly. As Anakin turned to look at him in shock, he continued "great sands – you come from Tatooine. The "one who knows darkness but lives in the light" is me – I know the Dark Side but I'm firmly attached to the Light. I'm not entirely sure about the second part."

"It means he'll become a Dark Lord obviously" Draco said with a smirk. Anakin whipped round, glaring at him. "I won't" he snapped, upset at the mere suggestion that he might betray the Jedi. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and he subsided quickly.

"I don't believe that Anakin will turn, prophecies are very vague and this one is no exception. Besides, it says that he'll come back, and if he truly did turn then that would be impossible."

"There is one way of ensuring that the prophecy never has a chance to come true" Snape drawled from behind Harry. Turning Harry rose to face him, and said challengingly "What would that be?"

"Kill him of course" Snape murmured. Harry promptly adopted a defensive stance, standing in front of Anakin. His lip curled slightly and he snarled out "You even think of trying anything like that and it'll be your funeral that everyone will be attending."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Death threats from a Jedi? You can relax Potter; I have no intention of harming your precious apprentice. It was a joke."

Harry glared at him again before saying "Do I look amused?"

Snape shook his head before replying, "No you don't. Regardless of my earlier words, I do believe that we won't know what the prophecy meant until the events it foretells have come to pass."

Glancing at Harry again he rolled his eyes. "For Merlin's sake Potter, you can relax. I'm not about to try and kill Skywalker when he's got you and the rest of your group surrounding him. I'm not suicidal."

Harry probed him with the Force, ascertaining the truth of his words. Finding that Snape was indeed telling the truth, he relaxed and sat back down. Snape quietly left the hall, he had a potion that needed to be stirred in a few minutes and it wouldn't do to let it spoil.

Anakin still looked a bit worried and upset although he was quickly rebuilding the neutral, expressionless mask that he normally wore in public. His distress could clearly be felt through the Force, and the waves of it that were coming through their bond forced Harry to partially block it to avoid being overwhelmed. Turning round, he met Anakin's eyes, and sent a pulse of comfort and reassurance along their bond. Finding that it didn't help the Padawan much he opened a mental conversation.

_Don't worry Anakin; I won't let you turn Dark._

_What if you can't stop it?_

_Then I will do everything within my power to bring you back to us OK._

_OK Master. What do we do in the meantime?_

_Remember the prophecy but don't let it rule your life. You're only fifteen, and some prophecies take years to be fulfilled, if they even are at all. Just relax. Tomorrow I'll show you one of this castle's best secrets and we can do some sparring at the same time._

_Cool, what?_

_Heh, that's for tomorrow._

_Fine_

They broke off the conversation, and Harry was pleased to note that the prospect of going secret hunting the next day had snapped Anakin out of his shock at the prophecy. Harry himself wanted to strangle Trelawney for giving the prophecy in front of Anakin like that even though he knew that Trelawney didn't have any control over when she made her predictions. Now he had to figure out how to keep it from overwhelming Anakin, as well as keeping the darkness that wanted him at bay for as long as possible.

The next morning, Harry woke instantly. He felt that something was wrong, only he couldn't pinpoint what it was. After centering himself within the Force, he opened himself to the flow of it, and searched for the source of his disquiet.

He found nothing but a sense of impending trouble, which, given the current state of the wizarding world wasn't unusual. Sighing, he surfaced to find Ginny looking at him curiously.

"Ginny!" he yelped, pulling the covers up to his chin. He was wearing his boxers underneath but he wasn't prepared to have the woman he was beginning to fall in love with be sitting on his bed.

Ginny grinned impishly at him and then innocently asked, "Yes Harry? Did I startle you?"

"Yes you did. How did you get in here with no one else noticing?" Harry growled back.

"Magic" Ginny responded. She yelped as Harry moved with lightning speed, flipping her onto her back and pinning her beneath him. "That was not very helpful Ginny" he growled again, although this time it had a playful note to it.

Ginny smirked and then relaxed. "Ok ok, so I persuaded your friends to let me in here. Anakin seemed especially amused at your probable reaction. I believe he was complaining about the lack of a holocam. Now, where were we? I believe we have a conversation to finish."

She squeaked as she found herself abruptly outside the bedroom door, with said door shut firmly in her face. After a few minutes Harry emerged fully dressed with the exception of his boots. He found Ginny seated on the couch with a mutinous expression on her face.

"Why did you throw me out Harry?" she asked. Harry raised an eyebrow. "Because if we're to discuss our situation then we need to do it without hormones getting in the way" was his calm reply. Ginny huffed but conceded the point.

"So, where are we exactly?" she asked. Harry sighed before looking around. Spotting the door, he cast locking charms and just before a silencing charm went up he heard a distinct CRACK as it hit someone's nose, and a muffled, "Damn now we won't hear anything" from Syra. The process of elimination suggested that the one whose nose was now broken was Anakin. He smirked and sent a mental _Go see Madam Pomfrey to get_ _your nose fixed Padawan_ and felt a sense of shock and then resignation as Anakin realized that they'd been caught. Another minute later Harry sensed that he and Ginny were finally alone.

"Ok we're safe from prying eyes and ears" he said. Ginny looked at him in amusement. "So, do I have to repeat my earlier question?" she asked. Harry shook his head.

"No you don't. I'm not sure where we stand to be exact. I know that you still have feelings for me, and I'm starting to develop feelings for you."

"Ok, so what's the problem" Ginny asked confused. Harry caught her eyes. "I mean that mutual feelings aren't enough. I'm a Jedi now, Ginny, and that brings several potential complications and adjustments for you, and me to make."

"What type of adjustments?"

"You will need to understand, and accept that sometimes I will be assigned missions that potentially I might not come back from. All missions carry some degree of danger but some are more dangerous than others."

He broke off to assess the effect his words had on Ginny. They didn't seem to have had very much as her next words proved.

"So you go into dangerous situations on a regular basis. I can handle that. Remember that we both grew up in the middle of a war Harry."

Harry sighed; apparently the first hurdle had been passed. "Ok, then there's Anakin. You will have to accept that he comes first. If you decide to enter a relationship with me, you will be my partner, yes, but Anakin is my first priority. I can't let anything affect his training, so we're going to have to work out how to balance our relationship against my responsibility to him."

Ginny was nodding. "I can understand that. Essentially, you're coming into a new relationshipand bringing akid as well, so we all have to get used to that. How is Anakin going to handle us?"

"He'll be OK with it as long as I can make him understand that I'm not going to abandon him. He is very sensitive to any hint that I might reject him, and I refuse to give him any reason to think that way."

"Hmm, OK. He seems to like me at the moment."

"That's good. He's much like me, doesn't trust easily and once you lose that trust it's hard to gain back."

"Well, you have raised him since he was what, nine right? So it's to be expected that he would pick up some of your characteristics. Has he picked up your legendary dislike of politicians yet?"

"He's working on it."

Harry and Ginny shared a brief laugh before falling silent. Ginny slowly moved over so she was sitting next to Harry, almost touching him. Harry raised his arm slightly, allowing Ginny to move under it so it was around her shoulders. From that position it was a short step to moving so that Ginny was curled up against Harry's side. He tightened his hold on her and enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed up against his. Feeling a certain body part start to react, he firmly told it to stop. He refused to move things too fast, especially since he and Ginny essentially had to get to know each other properly again.

Time flew by until there was a knock on the door. Harry took down the silencing and locking charms, and opened the door to admit Anakin.

"Have you had lunch Master because I want to see that secret you told me about." He looked curiously at Ginny and then asked, "Have you kissed him yet?"

"ANAKIN!" Harry yelled, utterly mortified at his apprentice's question. Ginny giggled. "Would you object if I had?" she asked, turning the question back at Anakin.

The Padawan cocked his head to the side and considered the question, ignoring his master's affronted glare for the moment. "Mm, no I wouldn't. You'd be good for him."

"Why thank you" Ginny said sweetly before noticing Harry's dark look. "Want to know a good way of cheering him up when he's grumpy?" she asked. Anakin nodded, only to turn away and say, "Eww get a room" as Ginny firmly pulled Harry's head round so he was facing her and kissed him firmly. When she let go, Harry looked rather dazed.

"Er, Ginny, its better that you do that rather than me" Anakin said before turning to Harry. "Master, if you don't mind, can we go to lunch now. I know you didn't have breakfast, so please, can we eat before going touring round the castle."

Harry snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Yes we'll go eat. Ginny that was very enjoyable. We'll have to explore that again later." Just then his stomach grumbled loudly and Harry smirked. "I second that notion, let's eat."

Lunch was a lively affair, as Fred and George spent their time alternately eating and transforming into various animals as the time delayed pranks that Harry had set up the previous night went off. Anakin whispered what he'd walked in on to Syra, who told Obi-Wan who looked at Harry strangely and then passed it on to Qui-Gon who gave Harry a very strange look before passing it onto Mace. Mace promptly choked on his pumpkin juice and looked at Harry before turning to tell Remus. The werewolf's eyes went very very wide and he leaned over to ask Harry in a whisper,

"Did you really shag Ginny Weasley with the door unlocked?"

That question led to Harry doing a classic spit take and turning to glare at Anakin. "Padawan" he said in an ominous tone of voice. Anakin turned to Harry and raised his eyebrows.

"Yes Master?"

"What did you tell Syra?"

"What? All I said was that you and Ginny were cuddling on the couch. What did Remus tell you?

As Harry digested this piece of information he realized that the original message had been mistranslated somewhere along the chain. Groaning he dropped his head to the table before lifting it and asking, "Have you finished eating?"

At Anakin's nod he rose and turned, tossing a "Follow me" over his shoulder. He led Anakin to the seventh floor, and stopped beside the blank wall that hid the Room of Requirement, or the ROR.

"Uh, Master, it's a blank wall" Anakin said, confused. Harry smirked. "6 years training under me Padawan and you still haven't learnt that things aren't always what they seem to be? Dear dear."

Anakin flushed in embarrassment and then watched as Harry walked up and down in front of the wall three times, eyes closed in concentration. After the third time a door appeared. Harry opened the door and looked in, before standing to the side.

"After you" he said, gesturing for Anakin to precede him into the room. The Padawan walked in and stopped short, his mouth dropping open in shock. Harry entered after him and shut the door.

"You like it?" he asked lightly. Anakin turned to him in shock. "How, how did you _do_ this" he asked. Harry smirked.

"The Room of Requirement becomes anything you need at the time. I merely wished for this and it happened. Shall we get started?"

Anakin nodded wordlessly. The Room of Requirement had become a perfect replica of their favorite training room in the Jedi Temple. Noticing Harry waiting for him he hurriedly stripped off his outer tunic and his boots, placing his belt and saber on one of the benches at the side before walking over to join his master in the middle of the room.

Facing each other, they knelt and opened their minds to the Force, and each other, slipping easily into meditation. They needed at least half an hour before they could do any exercise as they'd just had lunch, however they could use the meditation as a way to pass that time.

After half an hour, their eyes snapped open at the same time. Without a word, they summoned their lightsabers and began a slow yet deadly dance. Harry didn't push Anakin very much as they both needed to warm up but soon they were warmed up and Harry started upping the ante.

He started forcing Anakin backwards, only peripherally aware of the fact that the rest of the Jedi, as well as several Order members which included Snape and Draco had entered the room and were watching intently. Anakin chose to change gears, leaping to a higher level of the room, landing on one of the catwalks above. Harry followed him, twisting in mid air to avoid a kick to his face. He landed opposite his apprentice and immediately had to defend against a slice to his middle. Blocking it, he smirked and ignited the second half of his lightstaff before turning into a blur. Anakin met him strike for strike but Harry's experience was starting to tell. In desperation Anakin leapt across the room to another catwalk, and as Harry landed on the railing, he sliced it on either side of his master's feet. The railing, and Harry, fell to the floor.

The Order members gasped but the Jedi were silent, knowing that Harry would come to no harm. Indeed, Harry used the Force to slow his fall and landed, cat like, on his feet. Looking up at his apprentice, Harry smirked and then unleashed a barrage of spells at Anakin.

Anakin, certain that he was reasonably safe, suddenly found himself having to defend against a volley of spells that he had no idea how to counteract. He brought his lightsaber up and around, deflecting them with a bit of difficulty, given the power behind the spells and sheer volume of them.

Spinning around he saw Harry grinning at him from a few feet away. He paused for a second, before advancing forward in a series of attacks that Anakin soon recognized as the 15th kata. It would seem that Harry had decided to forgo freestyle for the moment. Falling easily into position, Anakin retreated, blocking easily, until Harry shot a spell at him in the middle of an overhead strike. Acting quickly, Anakin stepped to the side, brought his blade down to deflect the spell and then twisted it round to thrust at Harry's throat. The thrust was deflected and then another spell came towards him. Frustrated, Anakin wished with all his might that he was on the opposite side of the room.

There was a loud POP and he found himself exactly where he had wished himself to be. There was a dead silence, as Harry shut off his lightstaff, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he said, "Match over. Go and clean up."

He jumped down to the floor, landing softly thanks to the Force. Sweating lightly he nodded to the group of Order members before heading out the door. Anakin landed on the floor a few seconds later and followed Harry at a half run, wanting to know what he'd done to make Harry close off.

"Master! Master wait" he called. Seeing that Harry hadn't stopped, he switched to mental communication.

_Master what have I done wrong?_ he asked

Harry stopped so suddenly that Anakin almost ran into him. Speaking normally he said, "Nothing Anakin, you just shocked me a bit that's all. I need to consider what happened and what it means."

"What did I do?" Anakin asked, confused. Harry turned to him, a small smile on his face. "You Apparated Anakin. This is a skill that witches and wizards are taught as a method of transport. For Jedi it is supposedly a skill that only the Dark Jedi or Sith use, using the Force to transport themselves from place to place. It hasn't been taught in the Temple for hundreds of years as far as I can tell because of this reason. It isn't a Dark skill at all, it could be potentially very useful. However, we need to figure out if this was a one time occurrence or if you could do it again."

"What happens if I can do it again?" Anakin asked. Harry smiled at him and then responded, "We teach you to do it instantaneously, and I'll be learning with you seeing as I never got the chance to be officially taught to do it. Then we see if Mace, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and the rest want to learn to Apparate as well. Think of the advantage we could have in a fight."

Anakin thought for a minute and then grinned. "Oh yeah, any opponents won't know what hit them" he said with glee. Harry smirked at him before wrinkling his nose.

"You stink" he said bluntly. Anakin sniffed the air and then replied, "So do you."

Laughing, they split up to take a shower, having reached their suite while talking about the Apparition incident. When they came back down they found the Order members that had been in the ROR waiting for them, as well as the rest of the Jedi. To Harry's mild annoyance Dumbledore was also there.

"Why are we all gathered here?" he enquired sitting down on the couch. The Order members looked uneasy and the Jedi looked neutral, but Harry was able to pick up on their worry through the Force. Worry for him. Slightly confused, but sensing that Dumbledore was somehow part of it he turned his attention back to the old wizard.

"Harry" Dumbledore began, "We need to tell you something about the state of the war here, something which involves you. It will be a bit of a shock but I ask that you stay as calm as possible."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Ok now I'm intrigued. What do you have to tell me? You may as well spit it out now, I give you my word that I won't go on a rampage."

Dumbledore took a breath and then let it out. "Harry, we know the identity of the current Dark Lord that's terrorizing the wizarding world." At Harry'sinquiring look Dumbledore dropped the bomb.

"He's your son."

**Author Note**

Thank you all of you who suggested names for Harry's griffin form. It was a hard choice but I eventually chose **kittydemon18**'s name for Harry's form. As for those of you who have reviewed the first chapter of Dark Apprentice, I will be continuing that as well. How it is going to work is something similar to this: I will write both stories and hopefully update each one one after the other. That is one update for WANP, then one for DA. This might change if I get a writer's block on one or the other, in which case I will focus on the one that isn't blocked until the block clears. Until then I appreciate every review, even if they're critical of parts. Please don't kill me over the cliffhanger, as then you'll never know what happens next(evil laugh). Don't send reviews saying that Harry can't have a son, it will be explained in the next chapter as well. I will welcome all speculation on how it could have been achieved though. Remember these facts when you do: First, Harry didn't have a proper girlfriend when he went to Azkaban, he'd only just realised his feelings for Ginny and hadn't slept with any girl (or guy) at Hogwarts. Second, he didn't leave Azkaban from the time he was put there, to the time he left. With those facts in mind, let your imaginations run riot.

Happy reading and may the Force be with you

**Padawan Lynne**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Problems Resolved**

The silence in the room was such that you could have heard a pin drop. Harry blinked in shock before saying, "Would you mind repeating that Headmaster, I could have sworn that you said that this current Dark Lord was my son but that can't be true."

"Why can't it be true Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly. A cold look from Harry prompted the old wizard to say, "Sorry, Knight Potter."

Harry breathed out, seeking calm and serenity before answering. "It can't be true because I didn't have any interest in girls in that way until sixth year and even then I was only just figuring out my feelings for Ginny. Add that to the fact that I was taken to Azkaban a few months later and you have the impossible fact of me fathering a child while I was locked up in prison, half insane. Do you have an answer for me?"

Tonks coughed uncomfortably, drawing Harry's attention to her. The Metamorphmagus was rapidly cycling through various hair colours which was a sign of nervousness but she answered the question in a soft voice.

"Harry, it was the Ministry's fault really. When you were falsely accused and sent to Azkaban, Fudge demanded to know why you were so special. Dumbledore told him the prophecy and the idiot got it into his head that we needed a back up."

"What did he do?" Harry asked calmly, but the Jedi recognized his tone as one that said, "I'm getting impatient." Tonks seemed to recognize it too because she hurried on with the explanation.

"He decided that as you'd gone Dark, we needed a person capable of standing up to Voldemort, and there needed to be a Potter that was capable of carrying on the family name. Who better to do that than your child? So, he went to Azkaban, along with a Mediwizard and, well, collected a sample of your sperm."

Harry coughed a bit uncomfortably and said, "OK so basically they stole my DNA. What next. Dare I ask who the mother was?"

"Me" Tonks answered. Harry nodded. "I assume they wanted the child to be a metamorphmagus as well as having a combination of my power and yours" he mused. Seeing Tonks shake her head he frowned.

"Have I got something wrong?" he asked. Tonks nodded.

"I wasn't much more than an incubator Harry. I may have carried the child but genetically he's identical to you. He's not so much your son as he is your clone. The only things he's missing are the scar and the conscience."

"What do you mean he's missing a conscience?" Mace broke in, seeing that Harry was nearing information overload. Tonks looked at him and then responded, "Because he was trained to kill Death Eaters and Dark Lords without a shred of remorse for doing so."

Harry spoke up again, his expression and tone of voice neutral. "So basically the Ministry created a living, breathing weapon that was totally loyal to them. Is he what I was supposed to be?"

Dumbledore, who had been quiet while the explanation was given broke in with, "No Harry he's not. The ministry made a grievous error with him, they underestimated the amount of anger he held towards them. One night he broke out of his rooms, and killed all his trainers, along with Fudge. This was a year or so after you left."

"So he'd be about 15 or 16 now" Harry mused. Snape shook his head and replied, "No, in order to properly train him, the Ministry fed him a modified aging potion, one that would make his mind the same age as his body. He's around 20 now."

"What does he look like?" came the question from Anakin. Dumbledore smiled sadly and waved his wand, creating a holographic image like he'd done with the image of Tom Riddle. The image this time was of a tall young man with longish black hair pulled back loosely so it didn't hang around his face. His eyes were green, the same as Harry's and he held himself in a confident stance. There the similarities ended. Looking into the image's eyes, Anakin could see that they radiated coldness and anger the way that Harry's radiated warmth and love. The Padawan shivered and looked from the image, to his master and back, seeing the differences very clearly.

The other Jedi were also examining the image, and once they'd completed their inspection Qui-Gon asked, "What is his fighting style like?"

"Brutal" Kingsley Shacklebolt answered immediately. "He went through our best Aurors and Unspeakables in seconds, and his followers are even more ruthless. There is no one in the magical community that is powerful enough to stop him, except Dumbledore, or Harry. That's why we're so glad to have you here Harry. We really do need your help, and that of your friends."

Harry nodded. "I'll need their help too, I'm not about to take on, what's his name and all his followers by myself. What exactly is their purpose anyway?"

"They're a group of fanatics who hate the Dark Arts the way that some purebloods hated muggleborns. Your clone, who has called himself Wraith by the way, knows the Dark Arts but only uses them when he has to. He killed his trainers because they pushed him too far and he used a mix of muggle martial arts and low level spells such as Reducto and Accio to kill them, by blasting them to pieces or summoning various vital organs such as their hearts or brains, and apparently even their lungs."

"What kind of Dark Lord doesn't use the Dark Arts?" Harry queried in disbelief. Draco who had been quiet up till now snorted and muttered, "One that isn't so much a Dark Lord as one that has been labeled that because the public doesn't know what else to call him. I've seen him; it's like looking at a mirror image of you except for the fact that you wouldn't kill a Dark wizard by disemboweling him and then ripping his throat out like Wraith did. The only thing that's saving me and Severus from him is the fact that we don't leave Hogwarts except under a guard of Order members. Most times Dumbledore comes along himself."

"I'm fairly certain that the two of you are good duelists in your own right. Why don't you take him on?" Obi-Wan enquired. Snape snorted.

"I saw a Pensieve recording of the night he broke out. One survivor gave it to us before he died of his wounds. None of us can match him, except maybe Potter and you lot."

"Let's see it then" Harry said quietly. Snape raised an eyebrow but before he could say anything, Molly Weasley who had been among the Order members butted in.

"Are you sure the children should see it" she said. Harry gritted his teeth and inwardly smirked as he heard a faint growl from Anakin's direction. A slightly less faint growl came from Syra, along with a hissed, "Quiet" from Obi-Wan.

_Let me handle this Padawan_ he said to Anakin through their bond. He felt an acknowledgement of the request but along with it came a sense of annoyance and disbelief. Harry turned to face the Weasley matriarch.

"Yes they should see it Molly. They might be young but both have gone on dangerous missions before, and they need to know what they're up against. No good will come of them being kept in the dark."

As Molly opened her mouth again, Obi-Wan broke in. "Also, who are you to decide what OUR Padawans will and won't see? You have no authority to order them around, nor any right to tell us what to do regarding them. Kindly keep your opinions to yourself until asked for them."

Molly flushed with embarrassment and anger but seeing the warning look in the eyes of not only Harry but also the other Jedi as well as her own family, she decided to shut up. Snape looked round and saw that no one had moved. Shrugging, the former spy retrieved the memory from his robe, where it was held in a clear bottle that had an Unbreakable charm on it. He poured it into Harry's Pensieve, which the Jedi had wordlessly pushed forward, and then tapped the Pensieve with his wand.

The memory started playing in movie projector style above the bowl. _It was quiet for a_ _few seconds and then the screaming started. Three Aurors and two Unspeakables retreated into the room, firing curses at an unseen attacker. As they retreated further, Wraith strode into the room, deflecting the curses with ease as well as casting several_ _himself. One Auror tried to tackle the young wizard only to find his target had spun out of the way. The next thing he knew was the crushing impact of a punch to his throat. He dropped to the floor, dead._

_Seeing their colleague die spurred the others to new heights, and they started using darker curses, even the Unforgivables. Wraith dodged, deflected and attacked back, going through his remaining opponents with ease. After the remaining Aurors and Unspeakables were dead, Wraith calmly walked out the door, not seeing the lone survivor, although he would soon die anyway. Screaming from further from up the hallway announced more deaths as the survivor staggered up the hallway after Wraith. _

_Darkness came quickly as the survivor lost consciousness but not before saying to Kingsley, "Stop Wraith…all costs."_

The memory ended and Snape took it back. There was a brief silence and then Syra broke it. The Padawan was looking shaken and remarked a bit unsteadily, "Well; now I know why I've never wanted to piss Knight Potter off."

There were a few brief chuckles and then Harry replied, "I wouldn't do that to anyone Padawan, you're quite safe. I will admit though, that I want as much help as possible when I kill him."

"You're actually going to kill him?" Moody questioned. Harry gave a short nod.

"Yes. I can't let him continue to go round killing people like this. He's totally out of control, plus as long as he's alive anyone that he deems to be Dark is in danger, no matter if they're into Dark Arts or not."

He rolled his head from side to side, releasing the built up tension in his neck muscles before continuing, "He's lost sight of the fundamental nature of the world. In his quest to destroy anything "dark", he's forgotten that in order to have light, one must have dark as well. He's destroying the balance of magic which will throw the magical world into chaos. Therefore, he needs to be stopped."

"You're not going to try and redeem him?" Dumbledore asked. Harry turned round, a hint of disbelief in his eyes. Before he could answer, Qui-Gon broke in. "Redeem him? He thinks he's doing the right thing therefore anyone attempting to "redeem" him will be met with scorn and more than likely will end up dead. None of us are prepared to take that risk."

Dumbledore sighed and then asked, "How are you going to go about it?"

Harry met his eyes and then asked. "What is his one goal, now that Voldemort is dead?"

"Killing you. Fudge told him that you were worse than Voldemort, and Wraith doesn't care about things like Ministry pardons."

Harry waited until it was clear that Dumbledore wasn't going to be saying anything else before asking, "Does he have the ability to speak Parseltongue?"

"No he doesn't" came back the immediate response. Harry nodded satisfied.

"In that case, let's give him what he wants. He can come to Hogwarts, ostensibly to meet, and kill, me, only to be met with all of us. He'll try and attack me only but not even he is good enough to stand against 6 Jedi, 2 of whom are Jedi Masters."

"You think all of you are going to beat him?" Snape asked skeptically. Harry nodded and replied firmly, "Yes I do. If he is truly my clone then I have an advantage."

"Er Harry, he can do wandless magic" Ron put in. He had only just made up with Harry; he didn't want to lose his best mate again. Harry smirked in his direction before smoothly levitating Ron into the air and putting him back down again.

"So can I" he said coolly. Ron flushed as he realized that Harry wasn't going to be helpless against Wraith. Regaining self control he smirked back at Harry and then said, "Kick his butt mate."

Smiling somewhat coldly Harry replied, "I intend to." He was about to continue when a ring on Dumbledore's finger began blinking urgently.

"What is it?" Harry asked, interested. Dumbledore looked at him. "When Wraith escaped I secretly put wards around the Dursley home, in case he tried to attack them. He knows about your childhood, as he's done a lot of research on you, and he might be trying to exact a bit of payback for what they did to you."

"From what we know, we probably should leave him to it", Mace growled. Harry shook his head. "No Master, he'll kill them. I won't leave them to that fate, no matter how much I may dislike them. I can't let my mother's sister die, thinking that I killed them."

Turning to look at Dumbledore he asked, "Can you create a portkey to the Dursleys?" Dumbledore nodded and then held out a piece of rope a few seconds later. Harry, Mace, Dumbledore, and surprisingly Snape and Draco grabbed hold of it. The next instant they were in Privet Drive and Harry was setting off towards Number Four at a half run.

Bursting in the door they heard loud voices coming from the living room. Harry quietly led the group to the door, and looked inside. As they were waiting, Mace and Anakin couldn't help but cast glances towards the cupboard under the stairs and then looking back at Harry. Harry followed their gazes and his jaw clenched at the sight of the cupboard, but he said nothing.

Harry waited a moment longer and then acted. Throwing open the door he walked into the room, seeing Vernon and Petunia, who were by now grey-haired but still just as vindictive as ever, sitting on the couch, while Dudley who was as overweight and stupid as ever was lying on the floor, trembling. The fourth person in the room turned upon hearing the intrusion. Green eyes met green as Harry and Wraith met for the first time.

"Ah, Harry Potter. I've been looking forward to meeting you. And you've brought the other last people on my list with you. How appropriate. Do you want to do the honors?"

"I'm not going to kill my relatives Wraith and if you had any decency in you at all you wouldn't either" Harry said steadily, keeping his eyes locked on those of his clone. It was unnerving to stare into eyes that were identical to his but he kept calm. Wraith tensed slightly and then attacked him. Harry was ready though, and sidestepped, catching Wraith and throwing him into a wall. Wraith got up, dazed and Harry took that moment to hiss at the Dursleys, "Run. I'll keep him distracted, get out of here."

The Dursleys looked at him but grudgingly obeyed. They realized that Harry was the best equipped to deal with the "freak" that had interrupted their lives, even if they didn't like it. Wraith looked at the five people standing in front of him and smirked. He held out a hand and began closing it into a fist. Dumbledore looked confused but the Jedi were on high alert. Suddenly Snape and Draco began choking, trying to breathe round the invisible hand that was crushing their throats. Harry half-closed his eyes and the two former Dark wizards felt a larger power rip the hands off their throats. As they doubled over, drawing in deep breaths, they felt, more than saw, Harry throwing Wraith across the room with a flick of his wrist.

Wraith snarled and then said, "We can't duel here properly Potter, but I will kill you someday. Name the time and place."

Harry raised an eyebrow before turning slightly to Dumbledore. Dumbledore understood the unspoken question and nodded. Harry turned back to Wraith and replied, "Very well. Hogwarts, tomorrow. Come alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'll come to Hogwarts but my followers will fight yours while you and I decide who the better of the two of us is."

Harry smirked. "Haven't you heard Wraith? No matter how good a **copy** is, it is never as good as the original. See you at Hogwarts."

He turned to leave, and saw that Mace was looking at the Dursleys, with a distinctly unfriendly look in his eyes. "Master?" Harry queried. Mace looked at him. "You go Harry; I need to have a "chat" with your relatives." Harry closed his eyes as he mentally groaned.

'Oh dear they're in for it now' he thought. Opening his eyes he said, "OK Master but please remember that they're to be left alive." Mace looked a bit offended. "I know that Harry, I just want to tell them what I think of their treatment of you."

Dumbledore created another portkey and gave it to Mace along with the activation phrase to use once he was finished. Wraith had already left so Harry, Dumbledore, Snape and Draco grabbed hold of it and were in the Jedi suite a few moments later.

"Well, what happened?" Anakin demanded. Harry raised an eyebrow and Anakin fell silent. "We stopped his attack on the Dursleys. He had probably just got there so he hadn't done much at all. He's coming here tomorrow to supposedly kill me, and he'll be bringing his followers to engage you so that he can fight me alone. Anyone up to creating a strategy for dealing with this?"

"Where's Mace?" Qui-Gon asked. Harry smiled humorlessly. "He's having a word with the Dursleys regarding their treatment of me when I lived with them. He'll be back when he's finished."

"Er, they are going to be alive at the end of it aren't they?" Hikari broke in. Harry smirked. "Yes they will be. How are the Longbottoms?"

Hikari smiled. "They're fine. I was able to bring them back, and they and Neville have been catching up on all the things they've missed which is why Neville hasn't been here much recently."

Harry nodded. "That's brilliant news. I'm sure Neville is grateful for what you did for them. Now, shall we do some strategizing?"

With the Order members crowded round, the strategy session lasted well into dinner time, interrupted when one of the house elves brought the food to them. The end result of the strategy session was that the Order and the Jedi would form a circle round Harry and Wraith, killing and/or capturing Wraith's followers while protecting Harry from them. Harry himself would fight, and then kill Wraith, thus ending the threat to the wizarding world. With that settled, everyone decided to have an early night as no one knew what time Wraith would be arriving the next day.

As luck would have it, Wraith arrived at dawn. Harry felt his presence at the gates and leapt into action. Within minutes, everyone was awake and waiting out on the grounds, cursing the fact that they had to fight before breakfast.

"Dawn is such an overused time to attack" Ron grumbled. Harry smirked at him before answering, "Yes but it puts us at a disadvantage because he's got the sun behind him. Are the traps in position?"

"Yes mate, they were set up before Fred and George went to bed last night. Just say the word and we'll set them off" Ron replied, focused on the enemy in front of them.

"Be careful Harry" McGonagall said quietly. Harry looked at her and smiled. "I'm always careful Minerva" he replied softly. Looking back at Wraith he continued, "There will be only one winner in this battle and I intend for it to be me."

The two sides stood facing each other. Wraith's followers were dressed in black, with a phoenix on the back. Harry smirked as he heard Dumbledore growl something about arrogant clones stealing ideas, and then settled his gaze on Wraith. Without meaning to, he began thinking about what a child between him and Ginny would look like and concluded that it might look like Wraith with the exception of the hair and eyes.

'And of course, they'd have a much nicer personality' he thought before firmly banishing that line of thought to the back of his mind. Looking at his friends and family, he murmured, "If you see any green light, duck immediately. There's only one curse that's green and that's the killing curse. If it hits you you die and I don't want that to happen so stay alert."

The Order of the Phoenix members nodded seriously as did the Jedi. With another murmured encouragement, Harry raised his voice,

"Let the battle begin" he called out. At once spells began flying from both sides. The Jedi spread out and advanced; deflecting spells left, right and centre, taking out several of the bad guys when they didn't move. Harry and Anakin were both wearing their dragon-hide armor under their robes, which helped with the odd spell that made it through their defences. Harry headed straight for Wraith noting peripherally that the Order members were fighting well. Snape and Draco were hanging back a bit, casting curses at any enemy they came across but for the most part providing defensive cover. When all of the enemy forces were within the gates, Harry tapped his throat with his wand and yelled, "Release!"

At the precise moment when he yelled that, Fred and George unleashed a barrage of WWW products. The attackers found themselves floundering in portable swamps, while being hit with exploding spell grenades and other things that made them turn into various animals and plants. Soon, all the Order had to do was fish the attackers out of the swamps and make sure they couldn't escape. They would be spending some time in Azkaban later on.

Once the rest of the attackers had been subdued, all eyes turned to Wraith and Harry. The two men, one wizard, one Jedi stood facing each other, motionless, waiting for the other to attack. Then, as if by some prearranged signal, they both attacked at the same time.

Wraith sent a variety of nasty curses Harry's way, designed to cruelly incapacitate the Jedi. Harry nimbly dodged them, before sending a few curses back towards Wraith. He deliberately kept the curses at a low level, wanting to draw Wraith in close. Wraith took the bait and attacked with knives and a sword. Harry drew his lightstaff, and changed the blades to the sword blades. Releasing one of the blades, he turned the fight into a fairly evenly matched swordfight. Wraith began to taunt Harry but his taunts fell on deaf ears.

"Hey Potter, your parents must be so disappointed in you, going Dark and all" he jeered. Harry shook his head. "Actually they're quite proud of me, it's you they'd be disappointed in" he replied evenly. Wraith shook his head, annoyed.

"You're weak. Love only brings pain, why do you rely on it?" he sneered. Harry laughed. "Have you been looking into necromancy by any chance because you sound an awful lot like Voldemort" he grinned.

He'd hit precisely the right button because Wraith screamed out, "I AM NOT VOLDEMORT!" before rushing straight at Harry. Harry jumped out of the way and brought his sword down, cutting deeply into Wraith's back. Wraith gasped in pain, before swinging round, blood flying wide from the gaping cut.

"You bastard" he hissed. Harry shook his head again. "My parents were married thank you very much" he replied. "Why don't you just give up, there's nothing else you can do. If you continue to fight, you'll die. I don't want to kill you but you'll give me no choice if you fight me any further."

Wraith snarled and then said, "Say goodbye to your precious apprentice" before swinging round. Anakin was caught in the open, and had no defence against the curse that was sent his way.

"Avada Kedavra" Wraith screamed. Harry watched in horror as the deadly curse sped towards his Padawan. The others on the Light side had ducked for cover and wouldn't get there fast enough. The rest of the Jedi were too far away and even a dragon-hide vest wouldn't protect Anakin from the deadly effects of the curse as it was aimed at his head.

With only one option open to him, Harry Apparated in front of Anakin and shoved him to the ground. The curse hit Harry seconds later and there was a cry of "HARRY!" from Ginny, Ron, Tonks, Kingsley, all the Jedi, and surprisingly from Draco as well.

Harry fell backwards, landing on his backside, his eyes wide in shock. Then, a deep golden aura surrounded him as the killing curse rebounded on its caster like it had so many years before. Wraith wasn't fast enough to dodge and the rebounded killing curse struck him in the chest. Wraith fell to the ground clearly dead; while Harry fell backwards as well, just unconscious. His sword slipped from his grasp and fell beside him as his eyes closed, the lightning bolt scar on his forehead ripped open and bleeding like it had on Halloween 1981.

Ginny raced over to Harry, checking him swiftly. With a choked sob she looked up and said, "I don't know how but he's alive. He should have died but he didn't. He needs to go up to the hospital wing though."

As Harry was once more carted off to the hospital wing Draco remarked in a tone filled with irony, "He's like a bloody phoenix. What the hell does someone have to do to kill him?

**Author Note**

**Ok here is chapter ten. I'm not entirely satisfied with the second half of the chapter but after rewriting it half a dozen times I can't be bothered rewriting it again. So, here it is and please don't flame me for it if you don't like it. This will be the last update for this story for a while as my muse has left me totally for this one. It's like a car, the engine has broken down and needs to go in for repairs. In light of this expect more updates to DA than for this for a while. Sorry but that's the way it is and most of you seem to like DA anyway.**

**Padawan Lynne**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Reunions, Forgiveness and Decisions**

Harry was lying in the hospital wing, eyes closed. Around his bed sat various Order members, most of the Jedi, and three surprising new additions.

James and Lily Potter sat on opposite sides of the bed, stroking Harry's hair and just looking at him. Hermione was gripping her best friend's hand and praying that he woke up. The Order had been utterly shocked at their arrival among the living but after proving that they were who they said they were, the Order settled down and accepted that any more explanations would wait until Harry woke up. The entire assembled group refused to consider the possibility that he might _not_ wake up.

A few minutes later there was a small groan and then Hermione squeaked as her hand was gripped tightly by Harry's strong grip. Green eyes opened slightly, blinking in the bright light until they focused and became accustomed to the light level.

Slowly he sat up, not noticing who was sitting by his bed until he'd drunk the glass of water that James handed him. Green eyes met hazel, and narrowed in disbelief, before Harry's head swiveled to meet Lily's gaze. Identical eyes met and Harry blinked in shock. Looking down at his hand, he registered who was holding it.

Abruptly, he dropped Hermione's hand and leapt out of the bed, drawing his wand and pointing it unerringly at James. Keeping Lily and Hermione behind a Force shield, he shoved James into the wall and then lifted him up into the air with the Force.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled quietly. Lily had got over her momentary shock at Harry's actions and now her temper was rising swiftly. The Order members, along with the Jedi backed away just as swiftly, both groups recognizing the similarities between the tempers of mother and son.

From his position on the wall James croaked, "Harry, it's us. It's your Mum and Dad. And Hermione. Could you let us go now?"

Harry growled and replied, "I don't know who you think you are but it's a low trick to impersonate my dead parents and dead best friend. I'll repeat the question, who are you. Answer truthfully!"

Lily had had enough by this time. Eyes flashing the same way that Harry's did when he was truly at the end of his tether, she shrieked, "HARRY JAMES POTTER PUT YOUR FATHER DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

The onlookers winced and Ron muttered, "Geez, she's worse than Mum and I didn't think that possible." He turned a nasty shade of green when Molly Weasley turned on him and began yelling at him. Snape put up a privacy shield round them, being far more entertained by this first true argument between Harry and Lily, to listen to Molly's ranting.

Harry turned round to face Lily, blinking in shock. An old memory, fuzzy round the edges and indistinct, was trying to make itself known. Still holding James pinned against the wall he looked at his mother with an odd look in his eyes.

"Would you mind repeating that please?" he requested. Lily gladly obliged, at even greater volume and intensity than before. Harry nodded, before letting James down and vanishing the shield. He holstered his wand and then held up a hand.

"One more thing before I truly believe you" he said. Turning to face James he said, "Mr Goldshadow humbly requests that Mr Prongs shows him his animagus form as final proof."

James blinked, unraveling the sentence before he grinned and then transformed. The next second a stag stood in the hospital wing. Trembling now, Harry whispered, "Expecto Patronum." The Patronus trotted over to the real Prongs and Harry finally accepted the truth. His parents were alive.

Turning to Hermione he asked, "What did you turn into in second year due to that Polyjuice Potion?"

Hermione blushed before hitting him in the arm and replying, "A cat. Now will you believe us?"

Her answer was non-verbal as Harry hugged her so tightly she thought her ribs were going to break. He let go of her and hesitantly approached James and Lily.

"Er, sorry about attacking you Dad" he said sheepishly. James smirked at him and was about to reply when a new voice entered the conversation.

"Um, Master, how do you know that they're your parents?" Anakin asked. Harry smiled at him and replied, "Well, Dad's animagus form is a giveaway; no other wizard would have Prongs for an animagus form, and Mum, well,"

Turning to look at Lily he grinned and said, "No Death Eater would have bothered telling me off in such a parental tone." There was a moments silence before Lily started laughing, followed by James, followed by the rest of the group. Once she'd recovered, Lily swatted Harry upside the head before hugging him tightly. James joined in the family hug and Harry was almost overwhelmed as he received the first hugs he could remember receiving from his parents. A few tears leaked from the corners of his eyes but anyone that saw them wisely kept silent.

James let go first but Harry sat back down on the hospital bed, taking Lily with him as she didn't want to let go of him. Harry just sat, looking at his father, before commenting, "When people say that we look alike Dad, they weren't joking. You were going to say something before Anakin asked his question?"

James smirked. "Yes Harry I was. I was going to say that that isn't the first time you've done that to me, lifted me into the air I mean. When you were one, I put you in your playpen so I could help your mother with dinner. You screamed for me to continue playing with you but I said no. The next thing I knew I was floating in the air, and my privates were right above the pointy end of a Quidditch trophy. If your mother hadn't come in and levitated me away from there herself, I might not have been able to have any more kids."

Harry dropped his head into his hands and groaned while the room erupted in laughter around him. "Just kill me now" he muttered to the amusement of the entire group, especially Remus and McGonagall.

"Hmm yes James, I seem to remember coming into the house once and finding you as a Snitch" McGonagall commented. Seeing the confusion on the faces of everyone there, she elaborated, "Harry somehow turned James into a Snitch and was playing with him, and Lily couldn't undo the transfiguration. She finally called me in to help."

The room exploded with laughter again as Harry looked curiously at his old Head of House. "If that's true Minerva then why did I find Transfiguration so hard at school?" he asked.

"Partly because you were sent to live with those Muggles and as such weren't much better off in terms of magical knowledge than most muggleborns, and partly because you were, shall we say, disinclined to study?"

"Oi, I did study, I just got confused with all the steps" Harry protested, not daring to look at Anakin who was looking highly entertained at the knowledge that his master hadn't been a perfect student himself.

Silence descended on the room before Snape broke it. Looking directly at James and Lily he said, "Now that the family reunion and reminiscing is over can we please have an explanation as to how you three are back among the living? I was under the impression that no magic can raise the dead, no matter how powerful the wizard performing it is."

Remus broke in with, "Yes and how the hell did Harry survive that killing curse as well?"

James, Lily, Harry and Hermione looked at each other before Lily answered the question quietly. "We've been pestering Merlin for years to let us go back and help Harry but he wouldn't allow it. However his decision was rendered null and void when Harry took that curse for Anakin."

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces she elaborated, "On Halloween, when Voldemort killed us and tried to kill Harry, James died to protect us both, and I deliberately stepped in the way of the killing curse in order to save Harry. The similarity between my sacrifice and what Harry did, along with the power that he and Anakin, as well as Wraith had, was enough to bring us back. Only those with a strong emotional connection to Harry could be brought back and unfortunately Sirius wasn't with us at the time so he couldn't come back. Hermione is like his sister so that is why she's back, and we're self explanatory."

Nods signified the acceptance of this fact, but the Jedi were still confused about one point. Qui-Gon decided to ask in order to clear the matter up.

"Mrs Potter", he began. Lily turned to him and smiled. "Lily, please, we're all friends here" she replied. Qui Gon nodded and began again. "Lily, you said that Harry's actions sufficiently mimicked yours that you could be brought back but why didn't Harry die?"

"Prophecy" Harry responded. Enquiring looks were turned his way and he continued, "The first time round, it was my parents' sacrifice and a prophecy that saved me and now, it was a prophecy that saved me again. The prophecy states that I had to live in order to help Anakin later so I did. Otherwise it would have killed me."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before looking sharply at his parents and then at Anakin. "What is it Harry?" James asked, unsettled at seeing such a piercing look being directed at him from the Jedi Knight. He still had trouble remembering at times that Harry was a Jedi Knight, with an apprentice as well, and not the cute little baby he remembered him being.

"Mum's sacrifice left me with blood protection," Harry said slowly. He seemed to be thinking out loud, running facts through in his mind. Mace and Anakin recognized this and kept silent, both having seen this before. The rest started to ask questions but were silenced with an absent wave from Harry's hand.

"That blood protection, could it have been somehow transferred through me to Anakin?" he mused. "I did the same thing as you did Mum so is it possible?"

Now the witches and wizards looked intrigued and Lily was frowning as she considered his question. "It is possible I suppose, we don't really know much about blood magic given that it's supposedly Dark magic. I wouldn't want to test it though."

Harry shook his head vigorously. "No. Anyone that dares fire a killing curse in either mine or Anakin's direction will end up like Wraith. Dead. And not from a curse either. We won't be conducting any experiments along those lines at all."

Seeing reluctant nods from the still silenced group, Harry looked round and frowned.

"Why are you all silent?" he asked. James chuckled. "When you waved for them to be quiet you accidentally used your magic to reinforce it. You did a silent silencing charm and very well done it was too. Undo it though, before McGonagall goes ballistic."

Harry grinned and concentrated on ending the spell. A few minutes later there was a babble of voices as the Order tried to make sense of what had happened recently. The Jedi slipped out of the room, leaving Harry alone with his family, Anakin being firmly pulled out by Obi-Wan. They were almost out when Harry looked up.

"Obi-Wan why are you dragging Anakin outside?" he called. Obi-Wan looked at him and then replied, "You need time to get to know your family without us interfering Harry."

Harry shook his head and got off the bed, ignoring Poppy's demands for him to get back in it and walked over. Gently but firmly detaching Obi-Wan's hand from Anakin's arm he said quietly, "We will be moving the family reunion to our suite Obi-Wan, I want my parents and my sister to know the rest of my family, so trying to remain invisible won't help any. Let's go."

Turning slightly he raised his voice. "Mum, Dad, Hermione. Do you want to follow me to our suite?" The three he'd addressed wasted no time in following him out the door and when the Order came to their senses and followed, they found the portrait hole shut and locked against them. They grumbled a bit before dispersing, realizing that Harry did need to get to know the parents he'd never known and that he had more of a right to speak with them now than they did.

Inside the suite there was an awkward silence. James and Lily didn't quite know how to relate to the people who had taken their son and turned him into the adult they saw sitting across from them. Hermione was bursting with questions about the Jedi and the Republic and what his life was like now. Harry was just sitting silently, staring at his parents and imprinting their images on his mind and replaying the memory of the earlier hug in the hospital wing. Anakin was looking between Harry and James, Lily and Hermione and was struggling to quash the growing fear that Harry would return to Earth and forget about him now that he had his parents and surrogate sister back. Mace, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Syra were studying James, Lily and Hermione and were also wondering whether Harry would stay in the Jedi Order or not.

Harry coughed before saying, "Well, I think we'd best make introductions so we all know each other and we don't have to sit here silently staring all day." Seeing nods from his now increased family he quickly made the introductions before sitting down beside Anakin and simply staring at his parents and Hermione, imprinting their images on his mind. Hesitantly he reached out to them, still half-believing that this was all a wonderful dream and they were still dead. The firm grasp of his father, and then the hugs from his mother and Hermione convinced him otherwise though. Beside him he felt a small flare of jealousy and fear from Anakin, and filed that away for later discussion. He had an idea as to what was bothering his Padawan and wanted to sort it out but that discussion was not for in public like this.

James, Lily and Hermione were busy staring at Harry too. For Hermione, it was less of a stretch to make the connection between the sixteen year old boy she'd last seen him as, and the handsome, well-built Jedi Knight that was now sitting across from her. For James and Lily however, it was more of a struggle as even though they'd had several conversations with Harry as spirits, seeing him in the flesh made it more real that their baby boy was now an adult, and they'd missed out on him growing up.

The rest of the Jedi were silent, recognizing what was going on. Mace, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were wondering what Harry would do now, would he continue as a Jedi or would he stay on Earth, while Sora and Hikari were busy analyzing the possible effects this might have on Harry. Syra was merely wondering what would happen to Anakin if Harry chose to stay on Earth. It would not be nice if he did.

After another awkward silence Harry let out a breath. "First of all," he started, "I think I should say that while I'm stunned and very pleased that you've all somehow come back to life, it won't change who I am now. I will still be leaving Earth and going back to Coruscant."

Standing so he could see the whole group, he continued, "I am a Jedi, and that is what I'll stay."

Before he could go further James stood as well. "We had no intention of trying to force you to stay Harry, all we'd ask is that you came by from time to time to visit, or allow us to visit you. I'm sure that a way can be worked out, without resorting to long space flights in order for us to visit."

A long silence greeted this before Obi-Wan broke the silence. "What were your jobs before you died?" he asked. James and Lily looked to Harry and said, "Aren't you going to answer Harry?"

Harry growled and replied, "I know nothing about the two of you beyond the fact that you Dad were a good Quidditch player and Mum was brilliant at Charms and that was when the two of you attended Hogwarts. Oh and Dad was a prat up until 7th year and formed the Marauders."

Seeing the shocked and angry looks on his parents' faces he shrugged and said, "Hey don't blame me, blame Dumbledore and everyone else that didn't tell me a thing about you even when I asked. Not even Sirius was willing to tell me much, he seemed lost in the past half the time. I loved the guy but even I could see he was slightly unstable due to Azkaban."

James snarled and then replied quietly, "I was an Auror, and Lily a Healer with St. Mungo's, specializing in paediatrics. May I ask why you asked Knight Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "We always need more security and Healers. If you like you could help with security at the Temple James, and Lily could be one of the Healers. Ginevra too if she wishes to accompany us as well."

Harry glanced round the group. "This is OK with you all?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to get his hopes up. A firm nod from Mace and Qui-Gon reassured him. They may not be the entire Council, in fact, Qui-Gon wasn't on the Council, but they were senior Masters.

"OK then that's settled. Now what?"

"Now I think we should tell your girlfriend that she is able to accompany us if she wishes, and I think James and Lily look like they want to go somewhere" Hikari said, entering the conversation. Harry blinked, and then saw the looks on James and Lily's faces.

"I assume you want to speak to Dumbledore" he stated. Seeing twin nods he stood out of the way. "Go for it. Just leave him alive, I want to tell him something later."

James and Lily nodded before walking out of the room, twin looks of fury on their faces. Harry couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for Dumbledore, even though he knew he probably should be.

"Hermione, what about you?" he said. His once best friend looked at him, and then said, "I think I'll stay here Harry, I have my life to reclaim, and my parents to visit. What am I going to say to explain this?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know Mione. Better make up a good story though."

He hugged her hard again and whispered, "I'm going to miss you but at least I know you're alive. Stay safe for me will you?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course Harry. By the way, fatherhood really suits you. You'll be a good father one day, I can just see it, you and Ginny, with a lot of little Jedi running round, with Anakin as the big brother."

Harry blushed and said, "Not so fast Mione, no kids till the current political climate has cooled somewhat. Besides, I'm not even sure if Ginny still wants a relationship, and if she does then we'll still take it slow. Calm down a bit."

Reluctantly Hermione nodded and then headed off to the library. "I'm off to do some research and catch up on what's happened since I died. See you later."

As she headed out the portrait hole Harry looked after her and then sank back onto the couch laughing. Anakin looked puzzled, as did Mace, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon. Syra had left earlier to finish his assignments, while Hikari and Sora had left to chew out Dumbledore while they had the chance.

"What's so funny Harry?" Obi-Wan asked. Harry stopped laughing and looked at him with a grin. "It's such a Hermione response, if she doesn't know something then she'll head to the library to research it. It's her alright, only she could have that enthusiasm for research."

Nodding, the three Jedi left it alone. Anakin though, had one more question.

"Did you really mean it Master, are you really staying a Jedi?"

Sensing the upcoming serious discussion, Obi-Wan retreated to the bedroom where he found his own Padawan struggling with his Politics assignment. Casting a look to the now unnaturally silent lounge he shut the door and focused on Syra. Mace and Qui-Gon also retreated, this time out the portrait hole where they had a fun time exploring Hogwarts, and getting caught in the trick steps along the way.

Harry focused on Silencing the area around them, so they could have privacy and then focused his attention on Anakin. Speaking quietly and intently he replied, "Yes Anakin, I meant every word of it. I didn't ask for this to happen, I'm just as shocked as everyone else is. To be truthful, I'm not sure how to relate to them, they're my parents yes, but they haven't been that in reality since I was one. I don't really know them, and they truthfully don't know me. It's an awkward situation all round. I call them Mum and Dad because that's what they are to me, but I wouldn't accept it if they tried going all parental on me now."

"What about in the hospital wing?" Anakin asked. Harry laughed and playfully ruffled Anakin's hair, ignoring the protest from his Padawan. "That was shock Anakin, that and the fact that Mum reminded me of Molly Weasley. If Mum tried yelling at me now, well, I'd yell back. I won't abandon you Anakin; can you please stop thinking that I will?"

Anakin flushed slightly and looked at the floor before muttering, "I just couldn't help it, watching you be hugged by your Mum and Dad, it brought back memories. That comment about you and Ginny as well, it just piled on top of me."

Harry slipped a finger under Anakin's chin and exerted upwards pressure to force Anakin's head up so Master and Padawan were looking straight in each other's eyes.

"First of all, Ginny and I aren't even in a proper relationship yet and we don't know if we ever will be. Second, if we do have children, you will be their big brother, you might not be my son by blood but you are in everything else. Third, by the time I have children, you might well have children of your own, and we'll be able to swap babysitting duties."

He broke off while Anakin chuckled at the thought of lots of young Potters and Skywalkers running round. "The Temple wouldn't survive the onslaught" the Padawan said with a laugh. Harry smiled and shook his head, agreeing with the thought.

"Finally," he continued, drawing the conversation back on track, "how do you think I felt when I first met you on Tatooine?" I'd never known my parents and I walked into a family situation. I didn't let it show Padawan, but I'd never missed my own mother more than when I witnessed your mother hugging you. I know how hard it was for you to leave her, that's why I told you about my childhood. Now I have a chance to get to know them, and you'll get a chance to see your Mum soon as well."

Anakin looked at Harry questioningly. Smirking, the Knight said, "What did you think that bag of Galleons I gave you was for? We're taking a side trip on the way back home."

"How, the rest of them will want to go to Coruscant?" Anakin asked. Harry grinned and said, "Remember I said not to go into the second cargo hold?" Getting a nod from Anakin he continued, "The Marauder is in there, I'm fairly sure that the rest don't know, and we, along with Mum, Dad and Ginny will be taking her to Tatooine and then back home. I won't leave your mother in slavery as long as I can do something about it, and this way you'll know that she's OK."

Anakin looked at his master in shock, he'd been expecting a lecture on not feeling sorry for himself, and here Harry was, telling him that he was going to keep a promise that he'd made years ago, and telling him that he wasn't going to go away. He then noticed the concentration on Harry's face and straightened.

"Master?" he asked. Harry shook his head and muttered, "Nothing Anakin, I thought I felt something testing my shields but it's nothing. Let's go see if we can persuade the others to have dinner, it's getting to that time and I'm sure you're hungry." As if on cue, Anakin's stomach rumbled, followed a minute later by Harry's.

Grinning, the two made their way over to the portrait, Anakin leaving first, while Harry turned back and yelled, "Obi-Wan, Syra, we're going for dinner. You coming?" Two heads popped out of the bedroom where Obi-Wan had just finished helping Syra with a particularly difficult part of the Politics assignment.

"We're coming Harry, have you finished talking with Anakin?" Obi-Wan called back. Seeing a nod from his friend he smiled and said, "Put that assignment away Syra, we can finish it on the journey home. For now, let's go eat."

The Padawan heartily agreed with that sentiment and threw the datapad back in his bag, before he and his master walked out to find Harry and Anakin waiting outside the entrance for them.

They made it to dinner where they found James, Lily and Remus discussing old stories, and laughing occasionally. Snape and Draco were also quietly talking and glancing over to the trio, with Snape staring at James with a look of loathing that Harry knew all too well. Sending Anakin to sit with Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys he silently hoped that James wouldn't try anything. He didn't think anything would happen but he stayed alert in case anything did. Sensing Dumbledore drawing nearer he looked in the old wizard's direction and sighed. It would seem that all the chewing out had taken it's toll on him and now he looked in Harry's direction with a sort of longing look, as if silently begging Harry to step in and stop the seemingly endless parade of people who wanted to yell at him. Harry waited until Dumbledore had sat down before rising.

Shaking his head at Anakin to indicate that the Padawan should remain seated, he walked over to where Dumbledore was sitting. Dumbledore turned to face Harry as he approached, and was unsettled that the Knight gave no clue as to what he was feeling inside. Stopping by his chair, Harry said quietly,

"Dumbledore, you and I haven't got along since I came back, but I think you've been yelled at by enough people over the past few days without me adding to it. There's just one thing I want from you before I forgive you and that's a full, sincere apology, with no evasions or rationalizations."

Dumbledore stood to face the man that he'd wronged so horribly and replied, "You have it. I am sincerely sorry for the hell I put you through, and for not believing in your innocence. I further apologise for your terrible childhood, if I'd known it was so bad, I never would have left you there, and it is my regret that I never thought to investigate why you didn't like returning home. There's not much I can do to correct it now but I am sorry."

Harry nodded before saying quietly, "Then I forgive you Headmaster. Can we perhaps, start over?"

Dumbledore nodded, almost speechless with happiness that Harry had finally forgiven him for what had happened between them. He replied in a slightly shaken tone, "Of course Knight Potter."

Harry smiled and shook Dumbledore's hand. "It's Harry, Professor" he said with a quick grin. Dumbledore smiled and shook Harry's hand back before replying, "Only if you call me Albus dear boy."

Smiling now, wizard and Jedi exchanged a quick hug, before Harry turned and walked back to his seat, taking in the shocked looks on the faces of the Order of the Phoenix, and the slight scowls on James and Lily's faces. He sat near them and leaned over to say in a quiet tone, "Let it go guys, I'm the one he hurt most, and you've had your chance to yell at him now so just let it go. There's no point in holding a grudge."

James and Lily sighed but acquiesced to Harry's wishes and the shocked muttering around them died down after Harry glared at the offenders. Dumbledore had never looked happier, the twinkle in his eyes was almost blinding as he promised himself that he would be available to help Harry if needed in the future.

Later that evening, Ginny turned up at the Jedi suite, with her possessions packed in a trunk and shrunk in her pocket. At Harry's enquiring look she stated, "I'm coming with you Potter, and don't you dare try to stop me."

Smiling, Harry pulled her inside, and kissed her, breaking it off before it went any further. James, Lily and the rest of the Jedi were asleep in preparation for the early start to the journey back to Coruscant in the morning.

The next morning, the wizards and witches gathered to farewell their visitors, and also to farewell James, Lily and Ginny as they left with Harry and the rest of the Jedi. Neville, Frank and Alice Longbottom were there too, with Neville looking much more confident and happy now that he had his parents as well. Like Harry, Neville would have to adjust to getting to know his parents from an adult perspective, while Frank and Alice would have to do the same adjustment as James and Lily. Remus was looking wistfully at the ship, wanting to go with his friends, but knowing that his Lycanthropy would be too much of a danger around the Jedi Temple. He hadn't told his friends either, but he was dying. Each transformation took more and more out of him, he'd already lived much longer than the average werewolf did and one day soon, the transformation would kill him. James and Lily knew this already, due to them knowing the physiology of werewolves and their average life spans which is partly why they were leaving, Remus had reqested that they not stay to witness his death, and that he'd be able to watch over them from Heaven and play pranks with Sirius.

Harry removed the Marauder from the cargo hold of the ship the Jedi had come in originally and grinned at the startled faces of his companions.

"We're taking a side trip on the way home Mace, and then after the debriefing, Anakin and I have some vacation time scheduled so we'll take it, and the Marauder here, and take this lot, (indicating James, Lily and Ginny) on a galactic tour, mostly Naboo and Alderaan I think."

Mace groaned but nodded. "Very well, but remember that when you come back from vacation, James, Lily and Ginny have to get settled into their new lives." Harry nodded and the two groups split up, each heading into their ships. Hermione was standing with Ron, and Harry was amused to notice that they had their arms round each other. The age thing wasn't a problem, James, Lily and Hermione had returned to life at the ages they would have been had they lived.

The engines started up and a few minutes later they blasted off the ground, leaving Earth for the last time.

**Author Note**

**OK guys here is the next instalment. Thank you for your patience, this was a real bitch of a chapter to write, the characters weren't coming out right at all, and add that to ill health, family events and general R/L concerns and you have an overstressed, tired author with little to no inclination for writing. Still, I hope you like this and no flaming me for the choices I made regarding James, Lily and Hermione, James and Lily will be important later on and Hermione was there to be with Ron, as he wouldn't fall in love with anyone else, regardless of what J K Rowling might be writing for their future. Chapter Twelve will be out whenever I get it written, R/L hasn't calmed down yet, and I need to work on various things, namely keeping my finances in reasonable shape.**

**May the Force be with you**

**Padawan Lynne**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: More Reunions**

Harry let the Marauder get into space before setting the hyperspace coordinates for Tatooine. Once the ship had disappeared into hyperspace, heading towards the desert world, Harry unfastened his harness and went back to the small common area.

James and Lily were waiting for him, along with Ginny. Anakin was sitting between Ginny and Lily, and was working on his Chemistry assignment. All four looked up when Harry entered.

Raising his eyebrows Harry commented mildly, "I was under the impression that you were supposed to have finished that already Anakin. Are you having trouble with it?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, most of it's fine it's just this last Sith bedamned question that's giving me trouble."

Harry frowned slightly. "Language Padawan, there are ladies present" he said. As Anakin ducked his head in acknowledgement of the mild rebuke Harry came further into the room and sat down at the small table.

"Give it here, maybe I can make sense of it" he said, holding out his hand for the datapad. Anakin handed over the requested item before standing up.

"Master, while you're looking at that, can I go fly the ship?" he asked. Harry looked up, seeing a spark of mischief in Anakin's eyes. His own eyes sparkled in amusement before he replied, "Hmm, can you promise not to fly us into any more asteroid fields?"

Anakin blushed and replied, "That was unintentional and you got us out of there didn't you"

"After scraping multiple layers of paint off the ship from close encounters with several large asteroids and surviving dozens of near misses" came the retort from Harry who was paying attention to the datapad. Sensing that Anakin was getting impatient, he grinned and said, "Go sit at the controls, make sure we're not flying into any black holes. Don't take us out of hyperspace too early though. I'll see if Master Chyrr has finally set a problem that I can't solve."

Anakin nodded and disappeared up the passageway to the pilots seats. James, Lily and Ginny watched Harry concentrate on the datapad for a few minutes before hesitantly breaking the silence.

"Er Harry, what are you doing?" James asked. Harry looked up from the problem. "Hmm? Oh, I'm trying to work out this problem so I can help Anakin finish his assignment. Chemistry is one of my good subjects; Master Chyrr who's the Chemistry Instructor has occasionally challenged me to work out impossible seeming problems. I've done all of them so far."

"So what's the problem?" Lily asked. Harry ran a hand through his hair. "The problem is that there shouldn't be any problems that hard in an assignment for a class at Anakin's level. Maybe it was unintentional, or maybe Anakin's just looking at it in the wrong way."

Seeing that they were looking somewhat interested, he smirked and said, "In my room there's a datapad that I still carry round with languages downloaded on it. You can begin learning Basic if you wish. The writing is different to what it is on Earth, even if the spoken language is the same."

Ginny smiled and got up. "Where's your room Harry?"

"Down there, second on the left" was the distracted reply as Harry bent his head over the problem again. A few minutes later Ginny returned carrying a datapad in her hands.

"Ok how do we work this?" she asked. Harry briefly gave instructions and Ginny turned it on and downloaded the appropriate program. Ginny, Lily and James all crowded round the datapad, and began the process of learning the language. Finally James grew frustrated and stood up.

"Harry, would you permit us to do a knowledge transfer spell?" he asked. Harry looked up and frowned. "Knowledge transfer?" he queried.

"A spell that will allow us to gain your knowledge on the language of the Republic as well as its politics and general make up. It will allow us to fit in faster and make the transition easier."

"Does it hurt?" came a question from Anakin who was now standing in the doorway. James looked up at him and Anakin was struck by the similarities between James and Harry. "No it doesn't" James replied. "It will be disorientating for a few minutes but that's all."

"OK, so what do we do?" Harry asked. James, Lily and Ginny sat in a semi circle round him and then James started the proceedings. Placing his wand on Harry's temple he muttered an incantation. He was very surprised when it didn't work.

"Oops, I think I need to lower my shields" Harry said sheepishly when he was informed of the fact that the spell failed. After he had lowered his shields, James tried again and was rewarded with a dizzying amount of knowledge of the Republic, and the Jedi Order. He didn't get any memories, just facts. Harry was able to direct the spell inside his mind in some fashion so he could steer the spell away from the memories that his parents and Ginny didn't need.

Once James had finished and pulled his wand away, blinking in shock, Lily took his place, and then Ginny after her. Once they'd all assimilated the information properly, Harry turned the datapad with Anakin's assignment on it, round to them.

"Can you read this?" he questioned. Upon seeing three affirmative nods he nodded too. "Good it worked" he said before turning to Anakin.

"Would you mind taking them on a tour while I see if I can break this problem down?" he requested. Anakin acquiesced and soon Harry was alone in the common area frowning at the assignment.

After half an hour Harry grinned and put the datapad down. The problem wasn't that hard after all, Anakin had just gone about solving it the wrong way and had then gone round in circles with it. Smiling in satisfaction he held the datapad out to Anakin and said, "Here, I figured out what was wrong. You need to redo the second step, that's where the mistake was, all the other problems with that question stemmed from there."

Anakin took the pad and studied it for a few minutes before groaning and then smacking himself in the head. "I'm an idiot" the Padawan muttered, seeing how Harry had clearly laid out the working made him realize where he'd gone wrong himself.

Harry grinned. "No you're not Anakin, you merely took the wrong path in solving the equation that's all. Now that you know where you went wrong, correct it and then send the assignment to Master Chyrr when we get out of hyperspace.

Anakin nodded distractedly and redid the question that had been giving him trouble before saving the assignment and then tossing the datapad back in his bag with relief. Harry watched this with a smirk, thinking that while his apprentice was a good student, he didn't like assignments all that much. Raising an eyebrow he enquired, "Anakin, where are our passengers?"

Anakin's head snapped up and he went pale. "Uh, oops" he said, realizing that he'd lost them somewhere in the cargo hold. Just then their missing guests returned, and Harry stared at them in disbelief. They'd obviously found the small galley area as James was dripping from head to toe with ghava juice, and was bright blue as a result of that. Lily and Ginny had escaped being covered in juice but were highly amused at James' predicament.

Harry looked sideways at Anakin, who was struggling to hold in laughter. Harry took another look at his father before deciding, 'oh to hell with it' and breaking down in laughter himself. James glared at the whole group before drawing his wand and trying a Scourgify spell, to no visible effect.

"Uh Dad, that particular sort of juice has wonderful staining qualities, it has to wear off, it can't be cleaned off easily" Harry said through the occasional chuckle. James folded his arms and glared at Harry for a few more minutes before seeing the humor of the situation and ruefully beginning to laugh himself.

Harry stood and stretched. "Since you managed to find the kitchen by yourselves, how about some food?" Seeing the agreement on everyone's faces, Harry was just about to go and start cooking when a sudden jolt threw him to the floor.

Exchanging a glance with Anakin, Harry picked himself up and raced to the pilots seats with Anakin hot on his heels, followed by James, Lily and Ginny. They stared out the front viewports at a large ship, floating in space in front of them.

"Harry, what just happened?" Ginny asked. She was brave under ordinary circumstances but this was a highly unfamiliar situation for her and she was realizing that Harry and Anakin knew a lot more about this new world than she did. James and Lily felt similar feelings to Ginny but hid them. James found himself slipping back into Auror mode with each passing moment.

Harry answered Ginny's question with a terse, "Pirates Ginny, they want the Marauder probably."

Just then a voice crackled over the comm. system. "Surrender your ship and you won't be harmed. Prepare to receive boarders."

"Acknowledged" was all Harry said in reply. He exchanged a look with Anakin and saw the same look of anticipation that he was feeling. Harry turned off the comm. channel and said quietly, "Mum, Dad, Ginny, get back to the common area. When they board, say nothing, do nothing. Leave them to Anakin and myself OK." Getting nods of acknowledgement, the group moved back to the common area, Harry and Anakin stationing themselves at either side of the airlock hatch, where they would be out of sight of the invaders.

They didn't have to wait long, as the first invaders made it through the airlock with no time wasted. A total of 5 pirates came through, and stood in a line in front of the small group on the seat in front of them.

"Well well, look what we have here. You don't mind if we take your ship do you?" the leader said. As instructed, James, Lily and Ginny said nothing. They didn't have to as Harry spoke from behind them.

"They might not but we do."

As the pirates spun round Harry and Anakin moved from their positions, Anakin coming round to stand in front of James, Lily and Ginny, lightsaber ignited, prepared to deflect any blaster fire that might come towards them. Harry was herding the pirates towards the airlock.

"Jedi!" the leader spat. Harry smiled coldly. "Yes, I'm a Jedi, and I don't appreciate you lot trying to steal my ship. As such, you can get back over to your ship now and leave us to continue our journey in peace."

One of the younger pirates snarled out, "Never" and drew his blaster, firing two shots at Harry. With a silver flash of light Harry's lightsaber hummed to life and deflected the shots back at the pirates, before two controlled slashes took both the blaster, and then the arm of the unfortunate pirate who had fired at him. The rest of the pirates decided that leaving would ensure their life expectancy and fled, dragging the wounded one with them.

As they left, Harry raced to the Marauder's controls, and swung the ship round. Swiftly bringing his weapons to bear on the fleeing ship, he fired a couple of proton torpedoes at them; scoring hits that short circuited their electrical system and stuffed up their hyperdrive. Until they could effect the necessary repairs, the pirates were sitting ducks for any law enforcement officials that might come their way.

Resetting the coordinates for Tatooine the Marauder leapt into hyperspace again, and remained in hyperspace until they reached Tatooine a few weeks later. As Anakin piloted the ship down, Harry drew the rest of his family off to the side.

"Anakin and I will be leaving the ship here; it's a personal matter for him that we need to attend to. Stay on the ship, there are lots of scavengers around here, we don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves. Placing his Pensieve on the table he continued, "I know you know most of what my life was like but should you wish to see for yourself, feel free. You can't discuss it with anyone other than me, Mace Windu, Master Sora or Master Hikari. We're the ones that know the full story. Anakin knows bits of it, but not everything."

As he was preparing to leave Ginny called out, "Harry wait." Seeing him stop and turn to look at her she said, "What memories does it contain?"

"A selection memories of my life before Hogwarts, and what my life was like after I came here. You know about my Hogwarts years which is why I didn't put them in."

Ginny nodded and watched as Harry and Anakin walked down the landing ramp and off into the desert. Turning to James and Lily the three exchanged uneasy looks before putting their fingers into the Pensieve.

Harry and Anakin were walking towards Mos Espa when Anakin broke the comfortable silence between them.

"Master, why did you give them your Pensieve to look in?" he asked. Harry looked at him and replied, "Because I felt they needed to know what I showed them, and also the Jedi memories in there should help them understand a bit better how the Order works."

Anakin looked at the approaching city for a minute before asking quietly, "Why won't you show me?"

"Why won't I show you what?" Harry enquired. Anakin shrugged. "Your memories of the Dursleys, of Hogwarts. I felt out of place on Earth, it was a part of your past that you've never let me into, or at least only allowed me glimpses of. Don't you trust me with it?"

Harry sighed; once again the issue of trust reared its head. Stopping and turning to face Anakin he said, "I do trust you Padawan, and I'm sorry if you felt left out on Earth, that wasn't my intention. It's just that, well, when you put a memory in a Pensieve, you relive it while you're extracting it and I have so many bad memories of my relatives that I didn't want to go through it all again. How about this though, once we're finished here, I'll allow you into my mind and you can see the memories first hand, rather than in a bowl OK?"

"OK Master" Anakin replied, looking a bit happier. They stopped talking, allowing silence to once more fall between them until they entered the city.

"OK Padawan, which way to Watto's shop?" Harry asked. Anakin looked round, getting his bearings and then confidently headed off in search of his former owner. Harry followed content to let his apprentice lead the way while he kept watch for any beings that might try to harm them.

After a few minutes they arrived at Watto's shop, and the two Jedi strode inside. Watto came flying up and halted upon seeing the Jedi that had (to his mind) cheated him out of the best slave he'd ever had. It was the second Jedi that drew his attention when Anakin lowered his hood and spoke.

"I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker" he said in Huttese. Watto looked confused, why would an unknown Jedi be looking for his slave. He looked closer at the younger Jedi and suddenly had a revelation.

"Ani?" he said, shocked. Anakin nodded and Watto became more businesslike. "Why do you want to see her?" he asked. Anakin smirked and then glanced at Harry.

_Master do you want to tell him or should I?_

_You carry on; you're doing a good job so far. I'm just the back up at the present time._

Anakin looked back at Watto and then said calmly, "I want to buy her." Inwardly he recoiled, he hated discussing his mother as if she was an object, and not a person but he had to discuss it in terms that Watto would understand.

"How much are you willing to pay?" Watto asked greedily. Anakin's eyes flashed briefly with anger but he calmed when Harry placed a hand on his arm.

_Calm Anakin, remain calm. He's a greedy little twit I know but in order to free your mother we first have to get her away from him and that unfortunately entails buying her._

_I know but it's so difficult Master_

_You're doing fine, just give him the money, and let's get your mother freed._

_OK_

Anakin reached into the bag that hung at his belt and withdrew a single Galleon. Holding it up he said, "Would this be enough?"

Watto examined the gold coin, he didn't quite know what it was but it was solid gold and the Hutts were always on the lookout for solid metals that they could convert to credits. He nodded and said, "Not enough, do you have more?"

Anakin withdrew another 9, making 10 Galleons. Watto shook his head. Anakin upped the price to 50. Still nothing. Finally Anakin became frustrated and put the entire bag, which contained the remainder, some 500 Galleons on the bench top. Watto examined the amount and then looked up.

"Deal" was all he said. He then gave Anakin the transmitter code, which would turn off the explosive device in the transmitter, not knowing that Harry had done that part years ago, and the necessary papers transferring ownership. With papers and transmitter code in hand Anakin led the way to his childhood home, hoping that his mother was home.

As luck would have it, she was, and she looked up when two hooded strangers walked into her home. "Yes may I help you?" she asked.

The shorter of the two pulled his hood down revealing black hair and sparkling green eyes. Shmi searched her memory for why this person seemed familiar before realizing who it was.

"Harry?" she asked. Harry nodded and then stepped aside, allowing his companion to lower his hood as well. Shmi was stunned to see Anakin, her son, who she'd thought she'd never see again. "Ani?" she queried. Anakin nodded, and then walked to his mother, embracing her tightly. After a few minutes, they separated and sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"Why are you here?" Shmi questioned. Anakin grinned. "You remember that promise I gave you when I left Mum?" Seeing Shmi's nod he held up the ownership papers, before tearing them up and then saying, "We went to Watto, we got him to give you to us. You're free Mum."

Shmi was stunned. Anakin and Harry had come back to Tatooine to free her. Her thoughts turned to Cliegg Lars who had promised to free her once he had the money to buy her from Watto. They were in love and planned to marry once she was free again.

"That's wonderful Ani but I can't come with you" she said. Seeing Anakin's face fall she explained, "I'm in love with Cliegg Lars, he's a moisture farmer near Mos Eisley. He promised to free me when he had the money. He wants to marry me."

Anakin was struggling with the concept of his mother getting married. He understood that this meant leaving her all over again but this time she was free and would hopefully have a good life. Harry remained silent knowing that this was a difficult thing for Anakin to accept.

Finally Anakin said, "Is he a good man?" Seeing his mother's happy smile he relaxed. "OK then. I wish you luck Mum, and I hope he makes you happy. I love you."

Shmi reached out to him. "I love you too Anakin, I won't stop loving you. You're a Jedi now, and I can't interfere with that. I'll be happy with Cliegg and you'll be able to come and visit us when you can." Seeing that Anakin still looked upset, Harry intervened.

"Anakin" he said quietly. When Anakin turned to look at him he continued, "You kept your promise; your mother is free now. Let her live her life as she wants to. You'll be able to visit and she'll be safe. Don't force her to leave when she doesn't want to."

Anakin nodded before saying, "I know. Stay safe Mum."

Anakin, Harry and Shmi stood up and Anakin hugged his mother fiercely, wanting to remember this for a long time. He then turned and left the house, with Harry behind him. Shmi gathered her things and then followed them, not wanting to stay longer than she had to. In the marketplace they ran into Cliegg Lars who had just come from Watto's store.

"Shmi, Watto said he'd sold you. Who to?" he asked. He hadn't noticed Harry and Anakin standing behind Shmi until Anakin spoke.

"Us, but we freed her. I'm Anakin Skywalker, and this is my Master, Harry Potter."

Cliegg looked at Shmi. "Your son?" he queried, upon hearing Anakin's name. Shmi nodded. "They're Jedi Cliegg, Harry freed Anakin when he was 9 and took him to the Jedi Order. They came back to free me.

Cliegg nodded and held out his hand first to Anakin, then to Harry. Both Jedi shook it firmly and Anakin said, "Look after my mother sir." Cliegg smiled. "I intend to Anakin, don't worry about that. She'll be safe."

After a few more minutes of small talk, Harry and Anakin began the walk back to their ship while Shmi and Cliegg took his speeder back to Mos Eisley to begin their new life together.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Shared Memories and a Fresh Start**

Harry and Anakin walked back on board the Marauder two hours after leaving it, to find James, Lily and Ginny sitting somewhat dazed in the common area. They looked up as Master and Padawan entered before looking away again. Harry frowned and sent a quick request to Anakin to start the ship up and get off Tatooine. While Anakin ran to do so, Harry sat down opposite his parents and girlfriend, giving them what Anakin referred to as his "want to talk about it" look. It was a look which said that Harry could and would wait for all eternity until the person he was looking at talked. People rarely lasted more than about 5 minutes against him, Anakin himself could only last about 2 minutes. The only people it didn't work on were the Jedi Council.

After 3 minutes James broke the silence, having become quite unnerved by his son's steady, calm, unblinking stare. "We're certainly grateful that the Jedi Order took you in Harry, you've become a good man, everything that your mother and I could have wished for." As he stopped to order his thoughts, Harry swallowed; it meant a lot to him for his parents to be telling him that they were proud of him. Lily jumped into the silence, her eyes flashing.

"How you managed not to curse my miserable excuse for a sister and her oaf of a husband when you found out your heritage is beyond me Harry, I would have been cursing her and Vernon to hell and back for years."

Harry blinked and then replied quietly, "It would have made the situation worse Mum, besides which, they could easily have snapped my wand and then where would I have been." There were reluctant nods from his small audience before Ginny spoke up. "The wizarding world treated you disgracefully, as did the Dursleys but I think joining the Jedi was the best thing that could have happened to you Harry." Then she got up and hugged him, not caring that she was hugging him in front of his parents.

There was a squeak from Harry as James and Lily joined in the hug, and he was surrounded on all sides by warmth and love. Harry closed his eyes, briefly, before snapping them open as the ship lurched, throwing the whole lot of them to the floor in an undignified heap.

"Anakin what are you doing up there?" he called out, after picking himself up. There was silence from the cockpit and then Anakin called back, "Uh nothing Master. I just knocked the controls a bit. Hang on." The ship soon righted itself and then Anakin called out again.

"The navicomputer's finished the calculations for lightspeed, do you want me to engage the hyperdrive?"

Harry smiled and yelled back, "Sure, and then come back here."

A few seconds later there was another lurch as the Marauder leaped into hyperspace on its way to Coruscant. Seconds after that Anakin appeared in the doorway and flopped onto the seat beside James. Grinning at Harry he asked, "What did you want me here for Master?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I believe I promised you a trip into my past did I not?" Catching on to what Harry meant Anakin's eyes lit up. "Now?" he asked, trying to not sound too eager. Seeing his master's smirk he realized that he hadn't been very successful at hiding it.

"Yes now I, yes Dad?" Harry said, looking at James who had coughed softly to gain their attention. James looked slightly uncomfortable but continued, "Harry, there is a spell that will project a person's memories from their minds into the air like a movie projector. It can be set so that the person that is the focus of the spell doesn't relive the memories and also so that they can actually see them as well. Would you allow me to cast it on you?"

Harry looked around the group. Finally he gave a sharp look to James and Lily and said, "OK but no yelling at me over past misadventures. I'm an adult now remember." James and Lily looked at each other and then grinned. "Alright, but then we'd like to show some memories of our own Harry, of our Hogwarts days, and also you as a baby. You were quite entertaining."

Harry groaned playfully but then settled back against the back of the seat, with Anakin on his right side, Ginny on his left, while James and Lily sat behind him. James then cast the spell and Harry's Hogwarts memories started playing.

"Ah the first train ride" Harry commented as they watched. As they watched Harry grow up, there were the obligatory gasps at the right places, and some chuckling from James at the Whomping Willow incident. The Chamber of Secrets had Ginny pressing herself closely against Harry, while the werewolf and timeturner adventure of third year had everyone turning to Harry in shock and amazement.

Fourth year brought a mixture of reactions, admiration from Anakin for Harry's flying skills against the dragon, and shock and sympathy from the others over the third task. James did gently tease Harry over his non existent dating skills though, only to be slapped upside the head by Lily.

Fifth year brought outrage as they watched the battle of wills between Harry and Umbridge, and Anakin gripped Harry's right hand, turning it over to display the words that were still etched in the skin. He'd had questions about that scar and now they had been answered. The prank war against the toad was met with hoots of laughter from James and Lily, and the DA organization was applauded as well. Then came the infamous Ministry incident and Harry stopped the memories at this point.

"Hey why'd you stop Master?" Anakin asked. Harry turned to face him. "Because I want to say something regarding this next set of memories. I went to the Ministry mistakenly believing that I was saving Sirius, when it was a trap designed by Voldemort. You'll see one of the worst moments of my life at that point, Anakin, one of the moments that I'm not at all proud of and I just want you to know that I'm not like that any more."

Anakin looked confused. "I don't understand Master, I mean; it's not as if you used an Unforgiveable." He didn't receive an answer as Harry restarted the spell, showing the battle in all its ugliness, including Sirius' duel with Bellatrix, his death and Harry's reaction to it. Anakin gasped in shock and turned to Harry when the memory version of his master cast the Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix. The Padawan watched as the curse worked briefly before failing, and then watched Voldemort possess Harry.The duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort was next before the last memory of the Prophecy revelation, and Harry's destruction of Dumbledore's office. As the memory faded and the spell stopped, Harry turned to Anakin to find out his reaction to the memories.

"I, well, this doesn't change my opinion of you Master, all it does is show me that you were like me when you were my age."

"Like what Padawan?" Harry enquired. Anakin looked at Harry with a spark of mischief present before replying innocently, "Moody and temperamental Master."

Harry smirked and reached for Anakin's braid, only for his apprentice to dance away out of reach. Harry smirked and then transformed into Farsight and headed for Anakin's shoulder. Once settled on his shoulder, the falcon calmly nibbled and tugged on Anakin's braid for a good few minutes before taking flight again and transforming back into Harry. This had the effect of loosening up the tension that had been present at the end of the memories as James, Lily and Ginny were rolling on the floor in laughter at Harry's antics which was precisely what the Knight had wanted. While his family was occupied Harry slipped off to the kitchen to start dinner.

After dinner came the part that Harry was more interested in seeing, this being his parent's schooldays and then his baby memories.

The first memory was of the Sorting and the introduction of James Potter and Lily Evans to Gryffindor House. Harry, Ginny and Anakin watched, enthralled at the start of the Marauders, the pranks, and the eventual animagus transformations. Harry also winced every time the memory versions of his parents came in contact with each other.

"It's like watching Ron and Hermione" he said when asked about it. James and Lily grinned at him and merely continued the memories. As the memory versions of them grew older, Harry started to see the love growing between them and smiled happily when the memories turned to the wedding.

The next set of memories were embarrassing for Harry. The baby memories, which started in the maternity ward at St Mungo's hospital.

_Memory sequence: "James will you calm down, Lily will be fine" Remus snapped as James paced round outside a room in the ward. After what seemed like eternity, the door opened and then mediwitch poked her head out._

"_You can come in now Mr Potter" she said with a smile. James, Sirius and Remus rushed in to see Lily on the bed holding a blue-wrapped bundle. James gasped quietly and almost cried as he gently took Harry from his mother and looked down at him._

"_Hello Harry" he said softly._

There were tears in Ginny's and Anakin's eyes at this point, while Harry was struggling to keep composure. James and Lily looked at each other and then the scene changed.

_Four month old Harry shrieked with delight as he sat comfortably stuffed in a Christmas stocking hanging from the mantelpiece. Lily who was wandering through the living room said "Hello Harry" absently before stopping and turning round. "Harry!" she said before getting him out of the stocking and placing him in his playpen. She then yelled, "James Potter, our son is NOT a Christmas ornament!"_

_James looked shocked. "But dear I thought he made a wonderful stocking filler" he replied, before dodging several hexes from his irate wife. Kneeling next to Harry he scooped him up and held him in front of him like a shield. "First lesson Bambi, never annoy your mother, it's hazardous for your health" he whispered. Harry giggled, not understanding the words but enjoying being held by his father._

Now it was Harry who was struggling not to cry while Anakin and Ginny enjoyed the memories. Harry leant back against his parents, wanting contact with them. He was reassured a few minutes later when two sets of arms came round him.

"Next memory" Lily said.

"_Harry you don't touch my wand" James exclaimed as he retrieved his wand from the fingers of the now 11 month old Harry Potter. Harry pouted as the wand was taken away but happily accepted the stuffed stag instead. A few days later Lily came into the room to find James staring unhappily into the mirror while Harry was bawling in the lounge._

"_James what's wrong?" she asked. James turned round. "Never let him near your wand Lils, he turned my hair green. GREEN for Merlin's sake. I could have lived with red or even gold but GREEN!" _

_Lily shook her head but went to calm Harry down while James figured out how to fix his hair. They had an Order meeting that night and he didn't want to go to it with green hair!_

Harry was now laughing himself sick, as were Ginny and Anakin. Lily was laughing as well, and there was a fresh bout of the giggles when Harry waved his hand and James' hair transformed into green with silver stripes. To make things more interesting, Harry didn't change it back until just before they reached Coruscant.

The next few memories were mostly mundane things, such as Harry's accidental magic getting stronger and stronger and his first birthday party, which was where he and Neville Longbottom met for the first time. All in all it was a lovely way to spend the trip to Coruscant and Harry thoroughly enjoyed himself, as did Anakin and Ginny.

A couple of weeks later the Marauder came out of hyperspace and Harry sat back in his chair. "Take over the controls Anakin, guide us in" he said. While his stunned apprentice guided the ship towards the Jedi Temple, Harry quietly stood with James, Lily and Ginny and pointed out areas of interest, important landmarks and other such things. When Anakin had successfully landed the ship on the Temple landing platform Harry turned to the group and said quietly, "Welcome home."

The landing ramp opened and Harry walked down, followed by Anakin, and then James, Lily and Ginny in a tight knot. They were met by Mace and Obi-Wan, who promptly took charge, herding them towards their respective rooms, Harry and Anakin split from the group to go to their own apartment, and promised to visit once James, Lily and Ginny were settled in their own guest apartment, which would be exchanged for their own permanent quarters once they officially became part of the Jedi Order.

Harry and Anakin swiftly showered and dressed in clean uniforms before walking along to the guest apartment that Ginny, Lily and James were sharing, to find the three walking up to them.

"Hello, can you direct us to the Council Chamber?" James said with a grin. Harry nodded and said, "Follow us, Anakin and I were heading that way for debriefing right now in fact."

As they walked they got curious looks as it wasn't every day that new faces were seen round the Temple. The curiosity was quickly satisfied when James, Lily and Ginny were introduced as new security and Healers. They made it to the Council chamber without incident and Harry stopped outside.

"Now remember, just be yourselves in there, and don't let them intimidate you too much" he said, directing his words at James, Lily and Ginny, all of whom nodded their acknowledgement of the instructions before they entered to find the ring of Council members waiting for them, along with Hikari, Sora, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Syra. The debriefing was fairly long but after an intense though short questioning session, the Jedi Council swiftly declared James, Lily and Ginny part of the Jedi Order. Lily and Ginny were whisked off to the Healers where they were assigned mentors to teach them Force healing over the next few months. James was taken to the Healers for routine inoculations, and then taken off to view the security system. He was assigned to Tahl, who taught him about the system and how to use it effectively. Harry smiled as his family seemed to be accepted into the Order relatively easily. He was sure that there would be a few adjustment issues, but he felt certain that things would go relatively smoothly.

He was right, thanks to the knowledge transfer spell, his family had no trouble fitting in, and James and Harry even teamed up to pull a few pranks which mostly involved them switching eye colours and heading off in various directions to cause havoc. Master Yoda was heard to mutter, "Survive the Temple will not, one prank pulling Potter, bad that was, now two of them there are." The rest of the Jedi took it in good spirits and Obi-Wan even gave ideas and helped out a few times, as did Anakin and Syra. Life settled into a comfortable routine and soon it seemed that James, Lily and Ginny had always been part of the Order which was what Harry had been hoping for when they had come with him. All in all, life at the present moment was pretty good.

**Author Note**

**Right guys here is the last of the starter stuff. Next chapter jumps ahead to the beginning of AOTC which is why this chapter is bit short. I have ideas for the next chapter and it is being written right now, so no complaining about the shortness of this one OK. Apart from that may the Force be with you.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Assassins and Strategic Retreats**

It was now four years later and Harry and Anakin were on their way to the Senate apartments, to meet with Senator Amidala. Thanks to attempted assassination attempts the Senate had requested Jedi protection for her while the historic Military Creation Act, which Padme vehemently opposed, was debated about in the Senate. The vote for it's implementation or not was soon, and Senator Amidala was the leader of the opposition to it.

'No wonder there's been attempts on her life' Harry thought as he rode the elevator up to Padme's apartment. Beside him, Anakin was tense. The now 19, almost 20 year old young man was worried about how Padme would see him. The last time they'd met, he'd been 9 and she was 14. He hoped she liked what he'd grown into.

Harry caught the gist of his Padawan's thoughts and shook his head. "Hey lover boy knock off the romantic thoughts. We're here to guard her, not spend hours mooning over her hair, or her eyes, or certain other parts."

Anakin glanced sideways at his master and grinned. "Yeah but protection involves keeping a close eye on her so I can stare at her all I want" he replied. Harry shook his head. "Believe me Padawan, the last thing a woman likes is a guy constantly ogling her rear, no matter how cute it may be. We have a job to do here, do not let your personal feelings for her get in the way" he ended firmly as the lift stopped.

_Yes but what if she doesn't like me_ came the thought from Anakin over the bond.

_sigh Anakin, she will like you, if you do your job and don't make a fool of yourself. If you allow yourself to become distracted by her physical attributes I will personally hang you from the top of the tallest tower in the Temple understood._

_Yes Master I, oh wow!_

Harry rolled his eyes as Anakin's mental thought processes abruptly ceased when Padme came over to them. Holding out her hand she shook hands firmly with Harry and then with Anakin, her eyes lingering slightly on him as if not quite believing that the little boy she'd said goodbye to had turned into the handsome, intense young man in front of her.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and followed Padme further into the suite.

"Our presence will be invisible my lady I promise" he said before adding a silent, _Pay attention _to Anakin. Padme frowned.

"I don't need more protection Master Potter; I need answers as to who's trying to kill me. They got my bodyguard on the platform this morning."

Harry sighed and said, "You flatter me Senator but its Knight Potter." Before he could continue with his planned speech about being there for protection, Anakin broke in.

"We will find out who's trying to kill you Padme, I promise" he said earnestly, not noticing the disapproving look that Harry was giving him. Harry sent a silent _We'll talk about this later_ before saying, "Very well, we can begin making discreet enquiries Senator, however our first priority is to ensure your safety. It would not look good for the leader of the opposition to the current bill to be assassinated while under Jedi protection after all."

Padme smiled, and replied, "No it most certainly would not Master Potter. I'll leave you and Captain Typho, my Head of Security to discuss security matters while I retire for the evening."

Harry and Anakin stood up as Padme did, and watched as she left the room, heading for her bedchambers. The two Jedi then separated, Anakin checking the security on the apartment while Harry followed Typho downstairs to see to security on the lower levels.

When Harry entered again he heard an argument between Anakin and Padme.

"… need to be able to see you in order to protect you Senator" Anakin said firmly. Padme shook her head. "Anakin, I'm not comfortable with you watching me. I'll program R2 to warn you of intruders, I'll be perfectly safe."

Harry decided to step in at this point; Anakin needed some help convincing Padme to accept their help it seemed. "We wouldn't watch if you were changing my lady, our job here is to keep you safe."

Padme wavered slightly before asking, "Do you want to catch this assassin or not, I'm perfectly willing to be bait." Harry growled slightly. "I'm not happy with this plan Senator; there are many ways to kill you without alerting either myself or Anakin until it was too late. There are other ways of catching the assassin than offering exactly what they want."

Padme growled back at Harry but turned and went into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. A few minutes later and the cameras were covered while Padme was changing, and then uncovered when she was in bed. Harry nodded; apparently she'd seen the sense of his suggestion even if she hadn't liked it.

Padme fell asleep soon after that and Anakin and Harry were able to talk freely. Anakin started with, "I don't see why we're not going along with her plan Master. It's a good one, you know it is." Harry looked at him for a long moment before replying, "Actually it's not, there are so many holes in it and so many things that could go wrong that it's not an option."

Anakin grimaced before saying, "We can still catch the assassin if we're careful though. I mean," he broke off as Harry growled while looking at the camera view. Padme had apparently decided to take things into her own hands and had covered the cameras again. Running a hand through his hair in frustration Harry turned back to Anakin.

"It looks like the Senator has decided to do things her way. We'll just have to work around it" he sighed. Anakin nodded and then changed the subject.

"Why don't you like politicians Master?" he asked. Harry looked at him and then smirked before replying "Because I don't trust what they say most of the time. Politicians are skilled at saying what the people want to hear, and then not really delivering. Also, it's difficult to find a non-corrupt politician these days. I can name 2 that I know of and they are Senator Organa and Senator Amidala."

Anakin cocked his head to the side. "What about Chancellor Palpatine? He doesn't seem to be corrupt. He's also interested in seeing me but you've never agreed to it, or else you've allowed only short visits. Why?"

Harry sighed. "Anakin, you remember what my scar used to act like?" His Padawan nodded, confused. "Yes, it detected the presence of Voldemort, or reacted whenever he was planning something. Why did you ask that?"

"Because every time I'm around Palpatine my scar itches and if I'm in his presence for too long it starts burning slightly. He's always been a bit too interested in me, and now you, for my peace of mind and I've seen an indecipherable look in his eyes a few times when I've stopped him from seeing you. To put it bluntly I don't like him, I don't trust him and I sure as hell don't want him anywhere near you."

Anakin worked at holding his jaw up, he'd never known that particular information regarding Palpatine and Harry's scar before. Cautiously he asked, "What do you think it means though?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure but I'm always on my guard round him. You should be too, just remember to stay polite and don't advertise the fact that you're being cautious OK."

"OK Master, now…"

He broke off as he sensed a disturbance in Padme's room. Harry sensed it at the same time and they burst into Padme's room. The Senator herself sat up in bed as Anakin ignited his lightsaber and cut two small things that looked like centipedes in half. Harry spotted the assassin droid outside the window and raced to it, jumping through and grabbing hold of it.

Anakin watched as Harry was flown away and was about to go after him when a mental _Stay with the Senator Padawan, I'll be fine_ arrived over the bond. Anakin ground his teeth together but obeyed, secretly delighted to be able to sit next to Padme and put his arm round her shoulders. Padme herself didn't know why she allowed it, only that she trusted him and felt safe with him around. She hadn't missed his reaction to seeing her again and she'd had to work to hide her reaction to him. The mutual attraction was there, now all that remained to be seen was if the two could overcome their positions in society enough to allow attraction to turn to love.

Harry meanwhile had been taken on a thrilling, death defying ride through Coruscant. He knew he was being taken back to the real assassin; droids like the one he was holding onto were made to be controlled by one person. He squinted slightly and spotted his prey getting into a speeder a few metres ahead. Grinning, he let go of the droid and transformed into Goldshadow.

A few seconds later the griffin had torn through the roof of the assassin's ship and had extracted the screaming assassin with one paw. Holding her securely in his paw Harry turned and flew back towards the Jedi Temple.

_I've got the assassin Anakin; I'm on my way back to the Temple. Stay with Senator Amidala, I'll see you tomorrow morning._

_OK Master. Um, how did you do that?_

_chuckle I'm currently in my griffin form Padawan and the assassin is securely gripped in my right front paw. She's fainted from shock I think._

_So would anyone have if they'd been yanked out of their vehicle by a cross between a lion and an eagle._

_Quiet you, just focus on the job, and no ogling the Senator._

_Bit difficult to follow that order given that she's currently pressed up against me and staring at me._

_Then act like the gentleman I know you are Anakin. I'll see you later._

_Goodnight Master._

Harry gracefully flew in between the lanes of traffic till he got to the Jedi Temple. Smirking inwardly he landed on the top of the tower that contained the Council chamber and politely knocked on the window with his tail. The Council members looked shocked for a second before Mace rose from his seat and opened the window.

Harry thrust the assassin in through the window before squeezing in through the gap. Once inside he changed back to human form and stood beside his captive. The Council took over and questioned the woman thoroughly, learning that her name was Zam Wessell and that she'd been hired by a bounty hunter known as Jango Fett. She knew who her target had been but didn't know who Jango was working for. The Council called Coruscant Security and handed her over to them. Harry had been dismissed and had gone back to collect Padme and Anakin from the apartment, as they would stay at the Temple until the next morning. With the knowledge that another bounty hunter was after her, the Jedi had decided to err on the side of caution.

After a brief argument between Padme and the Council, the next morning which the Council won, Padme reluctantly agreed to leave Coruscant and go back to Naboo where Harry and Anakin could keep her safer. Padme then brought up a further objection.

"There is safety in numbers Masters, I would feel safer if there were more people in our group."

The Council frowned until Harry spoke up. Turning to Padme he said, "With your permission Senator, my parents, who are part of the Order as well, have wanted to make a trip to Naboo recently. Would you consent to them coming along? My father is part of security here and my mother is one of the Healers."

Padme frowned. "Would I be able to meet them? I don't have anything against them coming; I'd just like to meet them first."

"Of course Senator Amidala" Mace said before calling James and Lily to the Council chamber. When the two arrived they found Harry and Anakin standing in the middle of the chamber with a woman that they hadn't seen before.

"James, Lily may I present Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo. She has requested that two more people accompany us to Naboo, given that there is safety in numbers. Do you still wish to take that trip to Naboo?"

James and Lily exchanged a glance before James replied, "We'll be happy to accompany you Senator. I gather you know Harry and Anakin?"

Padme nodded. "Yes we met during the Trade Federation blockade ten years ago, and we've met several times at the Senate in the intervening years."

James nodded then moved forward holding out his hand. "I'm James Potter and this is my wife Lily." Padme nodded and shook his hand replying, "Padme Amidala from Naboo. Shall we get going?"

In short order the group of five found themselves on Padme's ship, with the Marauder shrunk and in Harry's pocket for safekeeping. The ship could be shrunk and resized safely, so Harry saw no reason not to bring it. On the trip to Naboo, which was lengthened due to several hyperspace jumps to throw off any potential trackers the five got to know each other better. Padme allowed them to use her name, and Harry finally got her to call him by his. James and Lily sat back and watched with interest, as this was the first time they'd had a chance to join Harry on a mission.

When they reached Naboo, they spoke with the current Queen and then headed for the lakeside retreat up near the mountains, an isolated area where they should be safe from any potential assassins.

Back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan had been assigned to tracking down Jango Fett, and his first port of call was a friend that could tell him the identity of the small dart that had been used to kill Zam Wessell when she was in custody at the security centre in Coruscant.

Finding what he needed, the Knight returned to the Temple where he located the planet he was after. Soon after that he headed off for Kamino in order to locate the bounty hunter that had forced Padme into hiding.

Back on Naboo things were going fairly smoothly. Harry was worried about Anakin though; the Padawan had dark circles under his eyes and wasn't sleeping well. When they were all out in the meadow one day, and Padme was discussing the politics of the Republic with James and Lily, he took the opportunity to have a quiet conversation with his apprentice.

"You look tired Anakin, when was the last time you had a decent night's sleep" he asked quietly. Anakin met Harry's eyes before looking back at the grass. "I don't know" he admitted. "I keep dreaming about my mother, and I don't know why. I thought she'd be safe with Mr Lars but I keep sensing that she's in pain."

Harry frowned. "Moisture farming can be hazardous Padawan, maybe you're sensing that she was injured while working on the farm?"

Anakin shrugged. "Maybe Master but the pain is too severe for that. I don't know what's happened but I want to go and find out."

Now Harry frowned again. "We're in the middle of a mission Padawan; we cannot ignore our mandate to protect the Senator, which is what you'd be doing if you left now. Once the mission is finished we can go check on her, but for now, we stay here. Understood?"

Anakin glared at the grass but nodded reluctantly. "Understood Master" he muttered. Harry nodded and watched as Anakin got up and wandered over to Padme, entering the conversation smoothly and inciting a friendly debate. He considered Anakin's dreams, the Padawan wasn't given to nightmares so it had to be visions but he didn't know how to help him through it. He thought of telling him about the visions that he used to have but decided against it. Although knowing that his Master had been through much the same thing might help, Harry also knew that what Anakin really needed was confirmation of his mother's condition and that was something that he couldn't be given right now. Sighing, Harry rolled over in the grass and watched with interest as Anakin and Padme grew closer as the attraction between them deepened. Love was slowly blooming between them and Harry chose to view it as a good thing.

'Now all I need to do is teach him to control it' he thought. Over the next few days he witnessed the attraction deepen and accidentally overheard a conversation between the two which centered on why they couldn't love each other. Padme was hung up on the fact that she was a Senator and Anakin a Jedi, but Anakin countered that with the argument that Harry was in love as well, and that the Order did permit marriage under certain circumstances. Padme put up several more arguments until Anakin finally promised to wait until he was a Knight before they got married. At that point Padme finally revealed that she was in love with Anakin and Harry left before he witnessed anything that might be embarrassing to Anakin if he'd known it.

That night Harry woke to hear the sound of soft whimpering coming from Anakin's room. Quietly he walked the few steps from his room to Anakin's and opened the door. Padme was by the bed and looked to be trying to calm the Padawan down. From the few words that Harry made out it would appear that it was another dream about his mother. Harry came further into the room and sat on the opposite side of the bed to Padme, reaching out and gently stroking Anakin's braid, using the Force to calm his Padawan down. Anakin tossed and turned a few minutes longer before calming and going deeper into sleep. Padme left minutes later, but Harry stayed there for a good half hour longer, making sure the dream wouldn't return.

When he went back to bed he was so tired that he missed the morning meditation session which proved to be an error on his part as it gave Anakin the chance he needed in order to make a very large mistake.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Conflicts and Consequences**

While Anakin was chafing at having to stay on Naboo and not go to his mother, Obi-Wan was having a very tough time on Kamino. The Jedi Knight swore as he was forced to fight the bounty hunter he'd come to pick up for questioning and thought that it was a very good thing that his Padawan, Syra was not here to see his master get his butt kicked. Finally, when Jango and his son Boba had escaped on their ship, Obi-Wan attached a tracking device to their hull and flew off after them in his starfighter.

He groaned as he was engaged in a vicious dogfight in the middle of the asteroid field surrounding Geonosis. "Bloody seismic charges" he growled as he dodged debris from the latest explosion. Getting ahead of his target he found himself the focus of intense laser fire as well as a couple of missiles. Swerving round an asteroid he had an idea.

"Jettison the spare parts canisters R4" he snapped to his droid. R4 beeped in acknowledgement and did as ordered. A few seconds later the pursuit vanished and Obi-Wan was free to track where his prey had gone to. He followed Jango down onto the world of Geonosis, a planet inhabited by insect like beings that lived to build weapons of mass destruction and sell them to the highest bidder.

Obi-Wan quietly landed his ship in a canyon and got out. He looked round before cloaking himself with the Force to hide his presence and then quickly and quietly made his way up a nearby path which led into the catacombs.

He softly walked along the paths, before hearing voices. He pressed himself against a wall and spied on the meeting. He counted several important members of the Republic, including the head of the Banking clan, the Techno Union guild, and the Trade Federation. He pressed his lips together and hissed quietly in annoyance. This looked like a meeting whose members were getting ready for war if the talk of battle droids was any indication. He quietly left down the same path that he'd come up and ran to his ship.

"Come in Harry" he said into his long range transmitter, which sparked and then died on him. Growling, he tried the short range one, and tried to contact Harry on Naboo. He didn't get a reply though.

"Odd, I could have sworn he said he was going to Naboo" he muttered. Thinking quickly he widened the range and picked up Harry's tracking signal from Tatooine. Frowning he muttered, "I wonder what he's doing there" before hurriedly composing the message that he needed to send to Coruscant. He was almost finished when he spotted two destroyer droids heading towards him at top speed. Igniting his lightsaber he tried to fight them but was captured. The last thing he thought before he was knocked out was that he hoped that Harry would get the message and act on it before it was too late for the galaxy.

**Earlier on...**

Back on Naboo James, Lily, Padme and Harry were sleeping peacefully in their beds in the lakeside retreat, enjoying the chance for a sleep in, when a low humming woke them. All four woke and ran outside, with Harry in the lead in case it was a trap. It wasn't of course, and they watched helplessly as Harry's beloved ship took off, with Anakin on board, heading for outer space. James, Lily and Padme looked worried as Harry let out a deep growl and spun back round to go inside, practically vibrating with anger.

"Uh Harry, are you alright?" Padme asked tentatively. Harry had had a hard time convincing her to use his name but finally succeeded. Harry turned to face her, and by default his parents as well, as they'd followed Padme and himself inside.

"No I'm not alright Padme. Anakin has just flown off to attend to a personal matter in the middle of a mission, turning his back on his mandate to protect you, and leaving me here as the sole person in charge of security. Turning round to face the open balcony he growled again as he added, "And he took MY ship!"

Padme looked undecided for a minute before saying, "Then we should go after him Harry." She found herself the focus of an intense, penetrating gaze for a few seconds before Harry shrugged. "I cannot in good conscience allow you to go Senator but if you were to take your ship, I would have to go with you."

"Us too" James interjected. Padme looked at them and then back at Harry. Her look hardened and then she headed for the hangar bay where her ship was kept. Minutes later they were on their way.

"Which direction Harry?" Padme asked. Harry thought for a moment before remembering Anakin's recurring nightmares regarding his mother. "Tatooine, he's been having nightmares regarding his mother for the past few weeks. He'll have gone there."

Padme nodded. "Right. Course set for Tatooine." The sleek Nubian spaceship jumped into hyperspace, following the course set by Harry's wayward Padawan.

On board the Marauder Anakin was focused on one thing and one thing only, finding and saving his mother. He'd felt Harry's anger when he'd seen the Marauder taking off and felt guilty for turning his back on his duty but he felt he needed to save his mother first.

'I promise Master, when I've saved her I'll return and face any punishment you see fit to impose but until then I need to do this. I'm sorry' he thought, sending it over his bond with Harry. He didn't know if it had been received but felt a bit better for having sent it anyway.

On board Padme's ship there was a tense silence. Padme was piloting the ship, while Harry sat in the co pilot's chair, fuming to himself, and attempting to release his anger to the Force. It wouldn't do to catch up to Anakin and then promptly kill him. James and Lily kept silent because they didn't know what to say. Over the four years that they'd been part of the Jedi Order they'd come to know something of the rules governing Master/Padawan relationships, as well as the rules about missions. They knew that Anakin had done something serious here but didn't feel happy about speaking to Harry about it. This was a side of him that they really hadn't had much contact with, the pissed off Jedi Master side, and they were honest enough with themselves to admit that they were more than a little intimidated by Harry at the moment. The fact that he kept growling at odd intervals didn't help. Finally after a few hours they arrived on Tatooine.

Harry took over here and guided the ship down to where he sensed the Marauder was. He found his ship outside a small moisture farm and landed Padme's ship next to it. As he walked down the ramp, followed by Padme, James and Lily a young man came out to meet them followed by an older man in a hover chair.

Harry extended his hand in greeting. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter, Anakin's Jedi Master. This is Padme and my parents, James and Lily Potter. Where is Anakin?"

The man shook Harry's hand firmly before replying, "I'm Owen Lars, and this is my father Cliegg Lars. Anakin went after his mother, a few minutes ago. Shmi was captured by Tuskens about a month ago and Anakin didn't want to accept that she's probably dead by now. He took off on my speeder."

Harry nodded tersely before saying, "I'm going after him. Could Padme and my parents please stay with you until we return?"

At Owen's nod Harry turned to his companions. "Stay here, you'll be safe. These are good people. Don't stray from the farm. I'll see you later, with Anakin."

With that he turned away from them. A second later he had transformed into Goldshadow. The Griffin shook itself and then took to the sky, heading off in search of Anakin. James, Lily and Padme watched him go before heading inside with Owen and Cliegg to meet Owen's girlfriend, Beru.

Anakin had located the Tusken camp where his mother was being held and had used the Force to enter unseen. A swift circle with his lightsaber cut a hole in the wall of the hut where Shmi was located and he entered to find an appalling sight.

Shmi was tied to a wooden rack-like construction and she looked terrible. Using the Force, Anakin could sense that his mother was dying. Hurriedly he untied her and then spoke to her. After about 3 or 4 minutes where Anakin desperately tried to heal her with the Force, Shmi Skywalker died, after telling her son that she loved him. At this point, Anakin lost all sense of right and wrong.

Gently closing Shmi's eyes, he breathed in and out, trying to control the maelstrom of emotions that were boiling inside him. He could feel his master's presence drawing closer but didn't care overly much. Angry now and wanting revenge, the Jedi Padawan started killing all the Tuskens in the camp, starting with the guards outside the hut he was in.

Harry flew closer, mentally groaning as he felt the Dark Side emanating strongly from Anakin, and the deaths of the Tusken Raiders. He pumped his wings harder hoping to get to his Padawan in time to save some of the camp from death. Landing he transformed back into his human form and jumped into a scene of carnage. Up ahead of him he saw Anakin swing his lightsaber at a defenceless Tusken Raider who looked like it might be a child, judging by the size. Shaking his head he swallowed to force down the bile that had risen in the back of his throat and yelled, "ANAKIN SKYWALKER! STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!"

A couple of Tusken Raiders ran up to Harry, and the Knight immobilized them with a quick spell, not hurting them, just making sure that they couldn't hurt him. He did the same with any other Tuskens that came to attack him as he made his way over to Anakin.

Anakin himself had automatically frozen for a minute upon hearing his master's shouted order. At first he was stunned, Harry rarely yelled at him so it was a measure of how annoyed he was that he had done so. After another couple of minutes however he'd shaken off his shock and had returned to his killing spree. It didn't matter that most of whom he was now killing were women and children, the Padawan couldn't see past his grief and anger over his mother's death.

Suddenly he found himself held immobile by the Force, and he was then spun round to face Harry, who was looking at him in annoyance but with a strong degree of sympathy mixed in with it. Anakin snarled at his master but Harry merely lifted an eyebrow.

"Anakin" he started, his tone firm but sympathetic, "I understand what you're going through, believe me I do, but this isn't the way to deal with it. Stop what you're doing and come with me. Don't continue down this path."

Anakin felt the Force bonds holding him disappear, and took in Harry's stance, which was alert to any movement he might make but still inviting. He hesitated before once more seeing the hut where his mother's body lay. His anger reignited and he snarled out, "Leave me alone" before turning away and heading towards the nearest hut with still living Tuskens. He felt Harry approach him, felt the Force coalesce round him to hold him captive again and he angrily lashed out with his own power, forcing Harry's Force bonds away. He turned and lashed out with the Force again, throwing Harry a good few meters to land in the sand outside one of the huts that had already been destroyed. The Padawan then entered the hut he was headed towards and made short work of the occupants. When he emerged he found Harry standing in front of him, blocking his path to the rest of the camp. Anakin blinked before he raised his lightsaber in a clear challenge. In the back of his mind he knew what he was doing was wrong but the larger part of his mind, the part that was screaming for revenge, told him that Harry was standing between him and avenging his mother. He advanced on his master, preparing to strike.

Harry's eyes hardened and his stance changed to one that was ready for battle. He still tried to defuse the situation though; he really didn't want to have to fight Anakin.

"Padawan, I don't want to have to fight you, I don't want to hurt you, but if you continue down this path I'll have no choice. Please Anakin, listen to me. Don't do this."

Anakin's response was a savage slash at Harry's midsection. Harry blocked it and then locked his apprentice's blade with his own before trying a Stupefy spell. Anakin disengaged his blade and blocked it in a show of reflexes that Harry felt fairly proud of, before ducking to avoid a cut that would have cleaved his head from his shoulders. He spared a moment to think that he'd really trained Anakin a bit too well, and began defending himself, not quite willing to launch any attacks of his own. This proved to be his downfall as Anakin made a cut to his head and then reversed his blade and dug it into Harry's left thigh. Harry went down with a muttered curse, and rolled away, before drawing his wand and firing curses and jinxes meant to incapacitate Anakin which were all blocked and deflected. Stepping closer to his master, Anakin brought his foot down on Harry's injured thigh, while keeping his blade ready to block any attack that Harry might try with his lightsaber. When his master jerked upwards in pain, the knife edge of the Padawan's hand caught him in the back of the neck. Harry blacked out.

When he came to he discovered a scene of devastation. Not one single Tusken Raider remained alive and the speeder, along with Anakin and Shmi were gone. Harry pulled himself to his feet, hissing as he put weight on his injured leg. He spared a moment to strengthen it with the Force, as well as deadening the nerves in that area so he could move with a minimum of discomfort. He quickly centered himself and transformed back into Goldshadow before beginning the flight back to the Lars farm.

Anakin had reached the farm earlier and had carried Shmi's body inside, before heading out to the workshop where he was found tinkering with the equipment. James and Lily could sense that something was seriously wrong with him, and they were also worried about Harry. Padme had gone out to attempt to talk to Anakin, and she'd discovered a few things about what had happened, allowing Anakin to release some of his emotions but not all of them. They were brought out of the workshop when Owen came running in to say, "Harry's back."

They all ran outside with the exception of Cliegg to see a weary Harry standing somewhat unsteadily on the sand. His leg was really beginning to hurt and the welcoming committee could see the nasty wound through the torn fabric of his trouser leg. Anakin swallowed hard, the memory of what had happened the night before suddenly hitting him. He quietly attempted to leave but a sharp "Stay right where you are Padawan" stopped him in his tracks. He turned round, to see Harry standing straight again, as if he wasn't injured at all. He could sense that his master was making liberal use of the Force in order to accomplish this but didn't care about that at the moment. All he cared about was trying to make the cold anger that he could clearly see in Harry's eyes go away.

"Master I" he began. Harry shook his head, stopping his attempt at apologizing. "Don't even start Anakin. I'm not in the mood to listen. You do realize what you've done don't you? You used the Dark Side of the Force to kill a camp full of beings, most of whom were innocent women and children. You refused to listen to me and then attacked me when I tried to stop you from continuing. You also deliberately disobeyed our orders to protect Padme and came here alone without clearing it with me or the Council first. And lastly, you STOLE MY SHIP!"

Anakin swallowed hard, and a quick glance round showed that Owen, Beru, James, Lily and Padme had retreated inside so they wouldn't have to witness the ugly scene between Master and Padawan. James was wincing as he went inside and once they were safely in the lounge he said, "He's definitely inherited your temper Lils." Lily nodded her eyes wide as she struggled to equate her normally even tempered son with the cold, stern Jedi Knight outside. She couldn't do it though, and realized that it was probably best to leave the two Jedi to it.

"Do you think Anakin's safe with Harry right now?" Padme asked. James chuckled briefly before replying, "Yes. Harry's extremely annoyed with Anakin but he won't physically harm him. He's just giving Anakin a well deserved reprimand from the sound of it."

Outside Anakin had to work to fight back tears; Harry had lowered his voice to that deadly tone that said he was so far beyond annoyed that it wasn't funny. The last time Anakin had heard it was the one and only time he'd decided to go underage drinking. The Padawan tried to sense his master's feelings over their bond but found it firmly shielded, which was another indication of how angry and upset Harry was. Finally Anakin found the courage to speak.

"Master I'm sorry. I just, I just got swept away by my emotions, I couldn't control them. I did try but you were in the way and then, oh Force Master, I'm sorry for hurting you, I am it's just,"

"Just that you were more interested in sating your blood lust than listening to me, and using the lessons I've taught you in order to control yourself?" Harry enquired bitingly. Tone still cold he continued, "A Jedi is in control of his emotions, they are NEVER supposed to be in control of him. To be angry is to be human, yes, but you are a Jedi! You're better than what I saw last night. Far better."

As Anakin swallowed again, holding back tears through sheer willpower, Harry stepped back from him and looked at him sternly. He knew that Anakin was close to tears, but found himself not really caring all that much. He needed to ram the severity of the situation home to his Padawan so that this would never happen again. He sighed, knowing that what he would say next would scare Anakin but it needed to be said.

"Look at me Padawan" he said, waiting until slightly damp blue eyes met his, before continuing. "I would be well within my rights to ask the Council to dissolve our bond, and then expel you from the Order for this. For a Padawan to use the Dark Side is serious, for them to attack their master is even worse. Murdering innocent beings is merely deepening the grave you're digging." He paused as Anakin gasped and began to speak, sounding slightly hysterical.

"You won't though, Master, will you? I'll make it up to you, I'll do anything you want, just please don't do that, please."

"Silence!" Harry snapped, and Anakin fell silent immediately, not wanting to anger his master any further. Harry paced for a few minutes before saying in a slightly gentler tone, though still stern and chilly, "I won't do that, but I will have to convince the Council to go along with not expelling you."

At Anakin's sigh of relief his tone hardened again. "Over the years you've made me feel a range of emotions Anakin. Pride in your accomplishments, annoyance and disappointment when you got in trouble, and also love for you as a son. Never though, have you made me feel ashamed."

Turning away he added quietly, "Until now that is." That was the breaking point as Anakin finally couldn't hold the tears back any longer and fell to his knees. Harry turned back towards him before walking past him and into the small house. Inside he sat down and allowed Lily to tend to his leg whilst being very aware of the uncomfortable silence pervading the room. Finally as his mother finished treating his wound he asked, "How much did you hear?"

Cliegg answered the question. "Not a whole lot. Is he OK?"

Harry smiled grimly. "He's upset and coming to terms with a few harsh truths that I opened his eyes to but he'll be OK given time."

"What truths?" James asked, half afraid of the answer. Harry stared at him and for a second a hard look entered his eyes, making James suddenly feel like he was the one in trouble. "The truth that his actions last night could very well be grounds for his expulsion from the Jedi Order. The truth that through his actions he's managed to make me feel a whole new depth of disappointment. The truth that it will take a long time to heal this breach between us and it's entirely his fault."

He would have said more but a beeping from the doorway drew his attention. "R2 what are you doing here?" he said calmly. The droid beeped at him and then C-3PO arrived beside him. "He's carrying a message from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do you know him sir?"

Harry leapt into action. Swiftly he took R2 back to the Marauder and plugged him into the holoprojector. That done, he played the message back, aware that Padme, James, Lily and Anakin were with him. After watching the message, and retransmitting it to Coruscant as Obi-Wan had requested, Harry had a brief discussion with Mace.

"I will go to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, my Padawan will accompany the Senator and my parents back to Coruscant. It may turn into a battle on Geonosis, I don't know, but I don't feel comfortable taking the Senator there."

"Understood Harry. We'll await Anakin and the Senator at the Temple. May the Force be with you."

"And with you" Harry said before ending the transmission. Turning to face the quartet behind him he found himself faced with three mutinous stares and one subdued one. Before he could speak he found himself being pinned with a glare from James. "We are coming with you Harry" he stated firmly. Harry stood his ground and glared at his father.

"I know you used to be an Auror Dad, and I know that Mum is no slouch in a fight either but the whole point of this is that it will be a quick and quiet extraction mission. Besides, I need you to accompany Anakin and Padme back to Coruscant, and no more side trips, or turning round to follow me. I will do this alone; it will be the best way of bringing Obi-Wan home alive. No Arguments."

James and Harry locked themselves in a staring match which Harry won. James looked down and admitted defeat before stepping forward and hugging Harry tightly. "Take care of yourself" he said before taking Anakin's arm gently and beginning to tug the Padawan towards the ramp. A head shake from Harry stopped him and he let go and continued down the ramp alone. Lily hugged him as well, and whispered the same message, to which Harry merely smiled and hugged her back tightly. Padme didn't hug him but just said, "Stay safe Harry" before turning and following James and Lily over to her ship. Finally, only Anakin and Harry were left. R2 had followed Padme. Anakin swallowed and said, "You don't trust me anymore do you Master?"

Harry sat down with a sigh. "Do I trust you to take care of Padme? Yes I do. Do I trust you to stay in control of your emotions? No not particularly. You did something very serious and very wrong last night Anakin, you know it and so do I. It will take some time to heal the rift that you caused, and for you to gain back my trust again. Expect a lot of work on emotion control and anger management when I get back. Even if you hadn't done this though, I would still have gone to get Obi-Wan alone, for the reasons I stated earlier, a quick, quiet one man extraction mission."

Anakin nodded before turning to leave. Harry stood up. "Padawan" he said. Anakin turned to face him. "I still love you, don't doubt that. I'm also still highly annoyed at what happened though. Just go back to Coruscant, finish the mission, and when we see each other again we'll talk about it calmly. Go now."

Anakin nodded and left the ship, pausing in his walk to Padme's ship as he heard the sound of the Marauder's engines starting up. He watched with a heavy heart as Harry flew away without him, before turning and walking up the ramp of the other ship. Once he was strapped in they lifted off and flew away from Tatooine, with R2 and C3PO on board. The two ships parted company in the space over the desert planet, Padme headed back to Coruscant and Harry headed towards Geonosis to save his brother.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Geonosis Rescue and Sith Encounters.**

Harry flew off to Geonosis, not feeling very happy with anything. He had hated having to be so harsh with Anakin but really, such blatant use of the Dark Side, not to mention the short duel couldn't be let go with nothing said. He checked their bond and found his apprentice to be subdued and generally upset but no longer bordering on hysterical. Digging deeper he discovered that the rage he'd sensed earlier had completely gone, to be replaced with deep guilt and sorrow. Shaking his head Harry shut off the bond again, keeping it only lightly shielded though in case Anakin tried to contact him.

He sent the Marauder into hyperspace in the direction of Geonosis, and then set the ship on automatic control before going to his room for a half hour nap. He would need all available energy for the rescue, and he needed to recover from the happenings on Tatooine.

En route to Coruscant, Padme was piloting again while Anakin sat in the common area, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. James and Lily sat on either side, not sure what to say to him. They had attempted comfort, which hadn't worked too well. The only real comfort that Anakin would accept would come from Harry and that wasn't likely to be coming anytime soon. The only grain of comfort that Anakin could take from the whole episode was what Harry had said just before taking off for Geonosis, that being the fact that Harry still loved him. Apart from that the Padawan felt lost and very much uncertain of his future. He knew that if he told the Council what happened, before Harry got back to defend him then he would be toast. Shaking his head he got up and went to his room, curling up on his bed and falling into an uneasy sleep.

James and Lily watched him go, before beginning to talk quietly. James looked round before saying, "This has really stuffed up the relationship between Harry and Anakin."

Lily nodded before replying, "Yes it has, I've never heard Harry be that cold, that stern before. I suppose with what happened it's warranted but what Harry said to Anakin must have really hurt. He seems lost now."

"I agree but there's nothing that we can really do about it Lils, he won't accept comfort from us, he'll only really accept it from Harry and Harry won't be giving that anytime soon I don't think."

Lily nodded and leaned into James' embrace drawing strength and comfort from him like she did whenever she was worried about something. James himself sent out a silent plea to Harry, a plea for Harry to forgive Anakin so Anakin could get past the guilt that was currently almost crippling him.

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan was currently held in a small room with electrostatic shackles on his hands and feet. He was waiting to see if anyone was going to come to his rescue, but knew that he had to have a back up plan in case no one did. With that in mind he catalogued his captor's routines and soon built up a picture of what happened each day. He was just about to drop into a light meditation when a black falcon flew into the room and alighted on the floor.

"Harry" Obi-Wan breathed in relief. The falcon looked round and then transformed back into Harry. Within seconds Harry was examining the bonds that kept his friend captive, and had worked out how to free him in an instant. The bonds kept Obi-Wan from using the Force but didn't have any effect on a Force user that wasn't trapped in them. Thus, Harry was able to use the Force to free Obi-Wan within a few minutes. He also handed him back his lightsaber.

"This is wonderful Harry but two questions. First, how the hell did you get in here and second, where is Anakin?" Obi-Wan whispered. Harry looked at him and a flash of pain shot across his face for a second before he replied, "Anakin is taking care of Senator Amidala, and I got here via the Marauder and then I used my animagus form to fly to where you were, after retrieving your weapon. Let's go though, before we're discovered."

Obi-Wan and Harry made their way along the corridors of the hive until they ran into trouble. A couple of Geonosians saw them and raised the alarm. Obi-Wan fell back, igniting his lightsaber in a flash of blue light. Harry smirked and said, "Don't kill me" before transforming into Goldshadow. The griffin roared and charged, killing the Geonosians with a couple of swipes with its paws. More reinforcements arrived and Obi-Wan backed up, along with the griffin. They backed up until they reached an opening that led off a cliff.

"Uh Harry, we're in trouble" Obi-Wan muttered. Goldshadow swung his head round and eyed the cliff, before roaring at the Geonosian warriors, picking up Obi-Wan by the scruff of the neck and put him on his back. With Obi-Wan secure he leapt off the cliff, spreading his wings and soaring into the night, letting loose a cry of triumph.

They flew away from the main hive and up until they found a rock outcropping that could hide them until they worked out what to do next.

Obi-Wan slid off Goldshadow's back and then watched as the creature transformed back into his brother. Harry shook himself and sat down so he'd be hidden from air patrols, casting notice-me-not charms on both Obi-Wan and himself for extra security. He also cast a privacy charm so no one could hear their conversation.

"Right, now we can talk and figure out a plan for getting out of here" he said as he put his wand away. Obi-Wan looked at him and frowned. "Harry we need to find out what's happening here, it sounds like Dooku's ready to unleash war on the Republic and we need to stop him."

Harry frowned back. "Obi-Wan my mission in coming here was to get you out. I agree that the Republic needs to know what Dooku's planning but we can't tell them unless we're there."

Obi-Wan shifted slightly and then said, "If we captured Dooku then we could end the war right now."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend and then smirked. "Possibly, however it's very risky. We don't want to be caught and executed now do we?"

Obi-Wan smirked. "Shall we get to it then?" Harry grinned and the two Jedi moved from their hiding place cautiously. When they were peering round a rock, Obi-Wan hissed, "Hey Harry, where's your ship?"

Harry patted his robe pocket and replied in a whisper, "In here. Shrinking and lightening charms are so useful don't you think?" Obi-Wan shook his head and then said, "I don't suppose you've got my ship too?"

He almost fell over backwards when Harry patted his other pocket and grinned. "Same treatment old friend, although your droid didn't appreciate it. I finally had to Silence him to get some peace." Obi-Wan shook his head and chuckled before they moved forward to where they sensed Dooku was.

Suddenly they leapt apart as Jango Fett landed right where they'd been standing. Obi-Wan moved to engage him, not seeing the two droids that rolled up behind him. He surrendered when he heard the sound of blasters behind him. Harry had swiftly turned into Farsight, and watched as his friend was taken away. He followed on silent wings, following the procession right to the execution arena. Apparently the sentence had been passed while Obi-Wan was in absentia and was now to be carried out.

Harry heard noises down the corridor to his left and floated off to investigate. He was reasonably certain that Obi-Wan was going to be publicly executed, and wasn't in danger of being shot. Drifting closer to the noises, he discovered three pens, each holding one massive creature.

"Hmm, an Acklay, a Reek and the other one I'm not sure of" he murmured. Making a quick decision he silently jumped into the first pen, the one holding the Reek. Checking to make sure the Geonosian guards weren't watching, he held the blade emitter of his lightsaber against the side of the beasts head and then pressed the activator switch. A brief flash of silver and the Reek sunk to the ground dead. Its brain had been flash fried thanks to Harry's blade.

Harry felt a moment of regret that he had to kill these beasts but then thought that if he didn't, there was a high chance that the beasts would kill Obi-Wan and that wasn't acceptable. He repeated the process with the Acklay and then swiftly changed into Farsight, not able to finish the job before the cages opened.

The cat like creature headed out for Obi-Wan and Harry noticed that the other Jedi was chained to a large post, and had no means of defence. 'Other than me that is' Harry thought with a grin.

He changed into Goldshadow and headed out of the cave, ignoring the gasps from the crowd at this new creature. He caught up to the cat like creature, which turned to meet him in battle. Harry had to give it credit for fighting but it stood no chance against the griffin which ripped it to pieces.

Goldshadow then advanced on Obi-Wan, not intending to hurt the Jedi but needing to put on a show for the crowd. Obi-Wan thankfully guessed his intentions and gave a minute nod, telling Harry to do what he wanted as long as it didn't involve permanent harm.

Harry threw back his head and gave his battle cry which was a combination of a lion's roar and an eagle's screech. The Geonosians scattered at the noise, and the hair on the back of Dooku's neck stood up straight. Goldshadow then walked up to Obi-Wan and patted him with one paw. Harry made very sure to keep his claws retracted as he pushed Obi-Wan from one side to the other, then shoved the Knight up against the post as he rose on his hind legs to try and reach the top of the chain. Having found it he pulled it loose with one tug. The griffin then backed off and looked round the arena, seeming to be thinking about something.

Dooku had been keeping Obi-Wan's lightsaber with him and had one hand on it, wondering what the unusual creature in the arena was waiting for. He got his answer a minute later as Goldshadow gave his battle cry again and rose into the air, heading straight for the Sith Lord. Jango Fett, standing behind Dooku drew his blaster but Dooku put out a hand.

"Wait, let's see what it wants" he said. Jango reluctantly lowered his weapon but kept it in his hand. Harry meanwhile had landed on the ledge and was eyeing Dooku with interest. Dooku slowly put his hand out, only to have the griffin go for his belt.

"Oh you want this do you?" Dooku said, holding out Obi-Wan's weapon. Harry cocked his head to the side and then made an affirmative noise. Dooku looked at the lightsaber, then back at the odd animal before shrugging.

"It's not edible" the Sith said before handing it over. The griffin gave him a look of disgust as if to say "I KNEW that!" and took it in it's paw before lifting off and flying back down to Obi-Wan.

Dooku had a momentary feeling of dread before Goldshadow threw the lightsaber up in the air and then transformed back into a familiar figure. Harry unhooked his lightsaber and activated it before freeing Obi-Wan's hands from the handcuffs they were in. Harry then transformed back into Goldshadow and Obi-Wan leapt on his back, before Harry took off and flew up to Dooku. The Sith gaped in shock as Harry transformed back into himself and he and Obi-Wan advanced on the Sith Lord with determination written on every feature of their faces.

Jango shot at them with everything he had until Harry immobilized him and stuck him to the hive wall with a sticking charm before removing or immobilizing all the bounty hunter's weapons. At seeing this, Boba moved forward, angry with the Jedi for hurting his dad. One look from Harry froze him in his tracks.

"I haven't hurt your dad boy; I've only immobilized him so he can't interfere. This isn't his fight, nor is it yours. Just stay out of our way and you won't get hurt."

Boba nodded and moved over to his dad, who was watching Harry with a measure of respect in his eyes. Jango inclined his head when he noticed Harry looking at him and said "Thanks for not hurting him."

Harry inclined his head back and replied, "I'm not in the business of hurting innocent children, nor will I knowingly deprive a child of his parent. Just stay out of our way."

Jango nodded and then watched with admiration as the two Jedi fought Dooku with grace and skill. He winced when Dooku sent Harry crashing against the balcony and turned to watch how the other Jedi fared against the Sith when it was one on one.

The answer to that was only just. Obi-Wan was a skilled fighter but Dooku had experience and a different fighting style to him. While Obi-Wan was a sword fighter, Dooku was a fencer and the different style gave him a small advantage. Obi-Wan was jumping around, tiring himself out, while Dooku had an efficient, economical style which conserved energy.

Obi-Wan had forced Dooku backwards down the corridor into the meeting room at the end of it. There he had more space to move and used it, trying to get inside Dooku's guard and injure him enough to capture him. This was an admirable move in theory, in practice it was difficult to implement as Dooku was more experienced and had the Dark Side to draw on which made him more powerful, and a lot less inhibited in terms of tactics. Obi-Wan held out for another 5 minutes before Dooku dug his blade into Obi-Wan's leg, and then his arm as he went down. Obi-Wan winced as he saw the red blade begin its descent towards his neck.

Suddenly Dooku's arm exploded in a shower of blood and gore. Obi-Wan and Dooku looked towards the hallway leading to the balcony. There they saw a terrifying (for Dooku) and comforting (for Obi-Wan) sight. Harry was standing there, his lightsaber activated and his wand out, his aura creating a visible halo of light around him. Harry strode forward his power crackling round him, eyes ablaze with a fire that only entered them when his family or friends were threatened. Dooku fell back, trying to stop the bleeding from the stump of his upper arm, which was all that was left of his left arm as the blasting curse that Harry used had blown off the rest of it.

Harry cast a quick coagulation charm, he didn't want the Sith bleeding to death before he could be questioned after all. Dooku gasped in pain and used the Force to suppress the pain so he could continue to fight. He moved away from Obi-Wan, and focused on his new opponent.

Harry shifted Obi-Wan out of the way with a quick levitation spell before bringing his lightsaber up in challenge. Dooku raised his own, somewhat awkwardly given his new one handed status. Harry smiled ferally and started a slow circle round the Sith that had harmed his brother and was planning the downfall of the Republic.

Dooku watched the slowly circling Knight and ran through his options. The man had destroyed his arm from several meters away, using just a stick. This was a new way of using the Force that he didn't know about, and he was wary of it. He had heard of Harry's skill in battle and knew to be respectful of his opponent's ability.

Harry was equally respectful of Dooku, he knew that despite losing an arm, the former Jedi Master, now Sith Lord was a man to be wary of. Smiling slightly he advanced, lifting his silver blade, his thumb hovering over the activation switch for the second half of his lightstaff, only wanting to activate it if absolutely necessary. Jedi and Sith circled one another for a minute more before Harry moved forward.

Red and silver clashed as Harry and Dooku tested each others defences. They attacked and defended almost without thought as they each realized that what they'd heard about the other's fighting ability was true. After one brief encounter they separated, Dooku breathing slightly harder than Harry, due to their ages. Dooku decided to try and talk Harry round, see if he could make the Knight turn.

"You're powerful Knight Potter, very powerful. Why do you serve the light side when the Dark side can offer you far more in terms of your abilities?"

Harry smirked. "I've been told that before Dooku, I didn't turn then, I won't turn now. Give it up."

Dooku sighed, frustrated. "My master has ordered me to kill you at all costs if you will not turn. Please reconsider, you could be great with us."

"At the cost of my soul. No. I won't. Tell your master that I told him to stick his offer in the nearest black hole."

Dooku growled and shot Force lightning at Harry who absorbed it with his lightsaber blade. Growing annoyed, Dooku attacked Harry with everything he had. Harry grinned and met the Sith strike for strike. He retreated, not giving the Sith any chance to penetrate his guard, and searched for a way through Dooku's.

Suddenly Dooku locked his blade with Harry's and then used the Force to bring down a wall on Obi-Wan. Keeping the blades locked, Harry used his wand and cast a silent blasting curse which blew the wall fragments apart, and then banished them away from his friend. He felt the pressure on his blade ease and looked back to see Dooku running from towards the balcony intent on escape.

Harry sighed and then sent his lightsaber blade spinning towards the fleeing Sith. Like a boomerang it flew towards Dooku's legs, guided by the Force. Dooku had almost reached freedom when the silver blade sliced through his legs just above the knees.

Dooku fell to the floor, and lost his weapon. With only one hand and no legs he couldn't run, nor could he reasonably fight. He tried though, as Harry approached, he used the Force to throw objects at the Jedi who had brought him down. Harry deflected each and every one before using magic to cocoon Dooku in ropes, before attaching Force suppressant cuffs to his wrists. He rolled his eyes and silenced his captive when he grew tired of Dooku's threats, before levitating him back to where Obi-Wan was.

The other Knight had managed to get to his feet although he was wincing as he put weight on the injured leg. Harry cast a general pain-relief charm that Lily had taught him on the offending limb and smiled at Obi-Wan's sigh of relief.

"Thanks Harry. Shall we get out of here?" Obi-Wan questioned. Harry nodded and then walked back to the balcony area, followed by Obi-Wan and the still levitating form of Count Dooku. There they found that the Geonosians had scattered, not willing to deal with two Jedi. The arena was filled with battle droids awaiting orders from Dooku. Jango and Boba Fett were still where Harry had left them and he gave Dooku over to Obi-Wan while he went to talk to them.

"So you captured him then" Jango said neutrally. Harry nodded and replied, "Yes we did. He's missing a few limbs but otherwise he's OK. I need to discuss something with you. Our Council wishes to ask you some questions, questions that we need answers too. Would you be willing to accompany us to Coruscant in order to answer those questions?"

Jango looked at Harry calculatingly. On one hand he hardly trusted anyone, especially not a Jedi. On the other hand, this particular Jedi had just restrained him from taking part in the fight, he hadn't otherwise hurt him or his son and deserved a small amount of respect and gratitude for that. Finally he came to a decision.

"Only questions? I won't be thrown in jail the instant we get to Coruscant?" he asked. Harry shrugged. "I can't promise that you'll go free after the questioning session, but what I can promise is that you'll come to no harm while you're with us. Your son will be allowed to either remain with you or he'll stay with me while you're being questioned."

Jango considered his options for a minute before asking, "Why did you cut off his limbs?" indicating Dooku as he spoke. Harry smiled grimly. "Firstly he hurt my friend here and was trying to escape. Second, well, my apprentice did something rather annoying earlier and I was letting off steam before I have to see him again."

Jango laughed and said, "I like your style Jedi. OK I'll come, just keep those lightsabers well away from Boba. I don't want him accidentally beheaded, nor do I want him beheading me."

Harry chuckled and released the bounty hunter from the charm before saying, "I'll just clear these droids out of the way so I can set up my ship for departure." He then turned and cast a wide range blasting curse which destroyed half of the available force of droids. He continued casting curses until the droids were all destroyed. Satisfied that the droid army was fairly significantly reduced in number for now he cleared a space among the droid parts in the arena and brought his ship out of his pocket. Putting it on the ground he tapped it with his wand and the ship enlarged to full size.

He turned to find his passengers waiting to get on board. Before they did though Boba turned to his father and said, "What about our ship Dad?" Jango turned to Harry who raised an eyebrow in query.

"If you lead me to it, I'll make it able to come with us" Harry offered. Jango nodded and led the way with Harry following. Obi-Wan and Boba got on board the Marauder, and Dooku was safely locked in the small cargo hold. Five minutes later Harry and Jango returned, with Jango holding a toy size version of his ship and staring at Harry in amazement. Obi-Wan shook his head and muttered, "What is it with Harry and shrinking hardware?" A few minutes later they had taken off and had left Geonosis behind, with both Obi-Wan's and Harry's mission completed, and valuable information sources as well. Their reception on Coruscant would be interesting.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Returning Home**

Jango woke instantly alert as the unfamiliar vibrations of the ship he was in set off his threat alarms. He looked round the room he was in before remembering where he was and why he was there. Feeling somewhat safer the bounty hunter then looked round for his son. Finding Boba not present he frowned and rose, dressing quickly and efficiently before stepping out of the room and starting his search.

He walked up the small corridor and arrived at the common area, where he encountered Obi-Wan. The Knight looked up at him and then gestured to a seat.

"Sit down Jango" he said calmly. "We're about to have breakfast. What do you want to eat?"

Jango blinked, before cautiously replying, "Anything's fine really. Have you seen my son?" Obi-Wan nodded before jerking his head towards the cockpit.

"He's up front with Harry; he wanted to learn the controls of the ship. Harry obliged him and has kept him occupied until you woke up. They should be coming back any minute now."

Just then footsteps sounded in the small corridor leading to the cockpit and then Boba burst into the common area, with Harry behind him. The young boy leapt at Jango jabbering excitedly, "Dad, Harry showed me how to fly this ship, it's awesome. He even let me fly it alone for a few minutes."

Jango raised an eyebrow at Harry who shrugged. "I figured I was there to oversee any problems and he couldn't do much harm out here. It was a good way of keeping him occupied while you slept."

Now it was Jango's turn to shrug. "Thanks Jedi, he always wants to learn more about different types of ships. Where's breakfast?"

Harry smirked. "First of all, it's Harry, and second of all, I'll get breakfast if you'll tell me what you want." After Jango, Boba and Obi-Wan had given their orders Harry swiftly prepared the meal and they sat down to eat. They were just finishing when Boba asked a question.

"Hey Harry, why did you hurt that other guy. He's a Jedi too right?"

Harry and Obi-Wan exchanged looks before looking at Jango. The elder bounty hunter shrugged and Harry took that as permission to tell the boy the details.

"He used to be a Jedi Boba. He went bad and wants to hurt the galaxy so we had to stop him. I really didn't want to hurt him like that but he wouldn't surrender."

"Why didn't you kill him? Then he couldn't hurt anyone ever again" came the next question. Harry raised his eyebrows at Jango who shrugged again.

"He's not exactly innocent Je, sorry Harry. It's what he knows."

Harry raised his eyebrows again but before he could answer Obi-Wan broke in. "We didn't kill him because he has information we need Boba, and also we don't just go around killing randomly. We never kill without a very good reason and we don't like doing it."

"So killing isn't a job for you then?" the young bounty hunter asked. This got two emphatic negative head shakes from the two Jedi. "No. We prefer to keep people alive, Boba, not see them die."

Boba looked incredulous that the Jedi could live without killing people but Jango intervened at this point.

"Boba, different people live by different codes. You and I live by one, the Jedi live by another. They may be different but you need to respect that difference OK."

"OK Dad. Has that bad guy had breakfast yet?"

Harry looked at Obi-Wan who shook his head. "I didn't feed him Harry, I thought you were going to."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I doubt that he'd be willing to take food from me, I'm the guy that relieved him of three of his limbs remember. You take him the food; he'll be more likely to believe it isn't poisoned if it comes from you."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows but got up and prepared a meal for their prisoner. He then walked down to the cargo hold where he knocked once and went inside. After a few minutes he returned.

"He's eating. He's not very happy with any of us but he's eating at least. Are you going to question him Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No I'll leave that for the Council. I need to go and meditate for a bit. I've got some things that need sorting out before I arrive back at the Temple." With that he got up and quietly retreated to his room to meditate on what to do about Anakin and the potential consequences his Padawan could face for his actions.

While Harry and co were on their way back to Coruscant, Anakin, James, Lily and Padme had arrived at the Jedi Temple. They had been quickly moved indoors where they had been questioned about what had happened on Tatooine. The Jedi had noticed Anakin's pain at any mention of Harry and Mace resolved to talk to him one on one without involving the Council for now. Arrangements were made to house Padme in one of the guest apartments and James and Lily were dismissed to freshen up and grab some sleep before returning to their normal duties the next day. Anakin was also dismissed but Mace chose to walk with him back to his apartment.

Once they were inside, Mace sat down on the couch and held out a hand to the suffering Padawan. "Anakin, sit down please. I know that something went wrong on Tatooine, Master Yoda was able to sense your pain from here. I'm not here to judge and we won't do anything about anything that you tell me until Harry gets back but you need to tell someone what happened before you crack."

Anakin looked at the floor before finally meeting Mace's eyes. "You truly won't do anything until my master gets back?" he asked. Mace nodded. "Yes Anakin. Think of me as just Mace here, not as a Jedi Council member."

Anakin nodded and took a deep breath. Voice subdued he said, "My mother died in my arms, killed by Tusken Raiders. I lost my temper, and my control on my emotions. My master tried to stop me but I killed them all, the men, and the women and the children. When Harry tried to stop me I attacked him, with my lightsaber. I, I used the Dark Side in the attack."

Mace was shocked but hid it well. This was definitely a matter for the Council but he was right to delay informing them until Harry could be there to provide defence for Anakin as was his right. Voice gentle he asked, "Did Harry say anything to you afterwards?"

Anakin nodded. Near tears once again from reliving the memory, he choked out, "He said that he would be within his rights to disown me but he wouldn't do so as he believed that I could learn from this and still be a good Jedi. He said that he was ashamed of me, but then said, just before he took off for Geonosis, that he still loved me. I'm not sure what to do Master, I'm afraid that he won't want me after he's had a chance to think about it, and I'm not sure about my future here."

Looking directly at Mace he said, "I feel lost Master. Help me, please."

Mace looked at Anakin for a moment, internally debating with himself. The situation was serious, using the Dark Side and attacking one's Master wasn't something to take lightly but he could also see that what Harry had said had hurt Anakin deeply. Sighing he asked, "May I see the memory for myself? I know that you told me about it but I also know that a highly charged emotional state can distort your view of the events in question. A dispassionate, calm review of the memory can often help to put things in a proper perspective."

Anakin looked at him cautiously before reluctantly nodding. Mace led him in meditation until he'd calmed enough to show the memory via the Force. This memory sharing was often done between Master and Padawan but Mace was close enough to Anakin, and powerful enough for the technique to work.

When the memory had finished, Mace sat back. Harry had been quite harsh, and he was surprised at that. His former Padawan wasn't much given to that level of severity when it came to reprimands. Even though the event in question was serious, he hadn't believed that Harry could bring himself to be that harsh.

'Guess I was wrong' the Jedi Master thought, before turning his attention to the Padawan sitting opposite him. "Anakin" he started gently. He waited until Anakin's eyes met his before continuing.

"I know that what Harry said hurt, but he was hurting too. He didn't like having to be that harsh anymore than you liked it. But, he was right in what he said. He won't be your only defender when you face the Council. I'll also be on your side. I can't say that officially but I'll oppose any expulsion request, as will your master. Just be patient, and take whatever punishment you're given, and you'll get through this OK."

Anakin nodded and Mace stood, pulling Anakin with him. The Master pulled him into a hug briefly before letting go. Looking straight at him, Mace said, "Harry loves you more than life itself Anakin. Never doubt that."

He turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving Anakin to contemplate the upcoming Council meeting, as well as the eventual meeting with his master as well. Anakin sank down onto the couch and dropped his head into his hands, finally allowing the situation to sink in and accept what happened.

The next day saw the arrival of the Marauder at the Jedi Temple. Anakin, Mace, James and Lily were there to meet them, with three visitors who had arrived earlier that morning. Hermione had used the intervening years between Harry's departure from Earth and the present day to construct a way to get from Earth to Coruscant via magic. She had finally succeeded earlier that year and now she had arranged with the Jedi Council to visit with Harry briefly, and had brought Professors Dumbledore and Snape with her.

Snape and Dumbledore had not failed to notice Anakin's subdued demeanor and wondered what was wrong. Hermione quietly questioned him about Harry and was astute enough to realize that whatever was wrong concerned Harry. She was tactful enough to not mention this fact; however, when Harry arrived she didn't need to as Snape and Dumbledore both sensed the tension in Anakin skyrocket when he spotted Harry.

"It looks like Anakin is in trouble with Harry" Dumbledore murmured to Snape. The younger professor nodded before whispering back, "Serious trouble I think." Dumbledore nodded quietly before there was a general gasp as Obi-Wan led the rest of the group down the ramp.

Jango tensed upon seeing the group but Harry dropped back and quietly said, "Relax, they're friends. The three at the back are visitors from my homeworld, and the ones to the left are my former Master, my parents and my apprentice. None of them will hurt you or Boba."

Jango nodded, having come to temporarily, and just barely, trust the raven haired Jedi now walking beside him. His senses picked up the tension in Anakin and he smirked.  
"Your apprentice seems a bit nervous to be seeing you again Harry" he said. Harry snorted. "He has reason to be, our parting was not on especially friendly terms. That doesn't mean I'm going to hurt him however."

Jango smirked again and nodded. Harry moved forward to the front and quietly spoke to Mace. "We brought back Jango Fett the bounty hunter that Obi-Wan believes is the assassin that was ordered to kill Senator Amidala for questioning. He's brought his son with him; don't separate them for too long, they're very close."

Mace nodded. "We won't Harry, we only want to question him. We'll let him go afterwards. What happened to Dooku?"

"He tried to escape, after hurting Obi-Wan." Looking slightly embarrassed Harry continued, "I was also letting out my residual anger at Anakin's actions on Tatooine. It's not something I'm proud of but I do feel better now and I'm ready to talk with my Padawan and discuss what happened calmly."

Mace eyed his former Padawan before replying, "Good. He's very upset you know. He thinks you're going to reject him now that you've had time to consider things."

Harry's eyes closed and he looked pained. "Does he not trust me when I say that I love him? Have I not shown him time and again that I will fight for him, that I will defend him from anyone and everyone that attacks him? Why doesn't he believe that I love him?"

"I think he does believe that Harry, but a situation like this one brings up doubts, and your threat didn't help matters."

Harry sighed. "I said that to get the severity of the situation across to him. I also said that I WOULDN'T do that." Sighing again he added, "I'll go talk to him."

Turning he walked towards Anakin, noticing the presence of the three Earth visitors. Calmly he turned to James and Lily and said, "Hello Mum, Dad. Would you mind taking Hermione, Severus and Albus to your quarters while I talk with Anakin please?"

James and Lily nodded and quietly guided the three guests off the platform and back indoors while Harry and Anakin looked at each other quietly. Behind them, Mace guided Jango and Boba indoors and up to the Council chamber for questioning.

Finally Anakin spoke. "Hello Master." Harry looked back at him before replying neutrally, "Hello Anakin. How are you doing?"

Anakin looked up at his master and then shrugged. "OK I guess. I'm just feeling lost and unsure of what's going to happen now." He spotted Dooku over Harry's shoulder and his eyes widened. "Er Master, what happened to him?"

Harry smirked and then said, "I was releasing my residual annoyance at your actions on him." As Anakin's eyes widened and his face paled, Harry started to think he'd made a mistake. Before he could say it was a joke, Dooku spoke from behind them.

"Whatever you did to piss him off must have been really bad."

Anakin paled even further and Harry growled lightly before flicking his wand at Dooku and silencing him. He then concentrated and banished Dooku to the holding cells at the bottom of the Temple before placing a hand on Anakin's back and gently but firmly guiding him inside. "Let's go home Padawan, and we can discuss what happened before we have to face the Council" he said gently, seeing that Anakin couldn't stand much more coldness from him.

Master and Padawan moved through the Temple, meeting hardly anyone else on the way, and Anakin breathed a sigh of relief when they reached their home. Walking through the door he dropped onto the couch, his legs giving out from under him now that he had seen his master's normal manner make a brief return. He hoped it lasted.

Harry sat down beside his Padawan and looked at him, really looked at him. Underneath the brave surface his apprentice was hurting badly, and it was partly his fault. Sighing he held out one arm, inviting a hug. Anakin needed no further invitation as he gladly accepted the hug. They sat in silence for a minute before Harry started to speak quietly.

"Anakin, when I saw you on Tatooine, I was more scared than I had ever been in my entire life. I thought I'd lose you to the one thing I'd always tried to prevent. I know that grief can be a dangerous thing, and I know that you were hurting and needed to lash out at something. Do you remember those memories I showed you of when I was 15?"

Anakin looked at Harry, not quite understanding the change of direction. "The one where you fought at the Ministry?" Harry nodded. "Yes Padawan. What happened to me after Sirius died?"

"You, you lost it too. You chased after the person who killed him and tried to hurt her. You used the Dark Side then too."

Harry nodded again. "Yes Anakin. If I had allowed myself too I could have easily lost myself to the Dark. But I pulled back from it. It was the most difficult thing I've ever done."

"I shouldn't have lost it the way I did Master. I could have asked you for a duel, where I could have let out my anger in a controlled setting rather than what happened. I'm sorry" Anakin whispered, from somewhere in the region of Harry's shoulder.

Harry shifted Anakin away from him and held his shoulders. "Yes you could have. I in turn need to say that I should have made sure that you knew that what I said wasn't meant to make you doubt my commitment to you. It needed to be said but it didn't have to destroy your confidence in our relationship the way it almost has and for that I'm sorry."

Anakin nodded before giving a shaky laugh. "We make quite the sorry pair then don't we Master?" he said. Harry chuckled before replying "Yes we do Anakin, yes we do."

Master and Padawan sat in a more comfortable silence for a few minutes before Anakin asked, "Master, what's going to happen at the Council hearing?"

Harry looked up at the ceiling. "Well, they'll debrief us about the general mission, then they'll most likely talk to us both, probably separately, and then they'll convene and make a decision. I don't think they'll expel you, I'll certainly do my best to prevent that, but you need to be prepared for the possibility of probation for a period of time. I will hopefully get them to declare this incident sealed so you don't hear about it on the grapevine, and I will do my best to ensure that it gets cleared up in a timely manner."

Anakin steeled himself to ask the next question. "You're not taking expulsion off the table simply because I'm the Chosen One are you?"

Harry growled slightly. "No I most certainly am not. That has nothing to do with this. Get that thought out of your head right now."

Anakin blinked and complied, before saying, "OK that thought has been trashed. Now what?"

Harry looked at him and said, "Now we wait." They didn't have to wait long. After about half an hour a call came on their comm. system.

"Harry" Mace said when the Knight answered the call. "Yes Mace what is it" Harry answered, although he knew what it was. Mace took a breath and then said simply,

"It's time."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Consequences **

Harry and Anakin walked up to the Council chamber, and with every step Harry could feel Anakin's nervousness growing. He knew that Anakin had every right to feel nervous but couldn't help sympathizing a tiny bit. When they reached the outer waiting room he saw James and Lily waiting for them, and gave them a tiny nod.

"How are you two?" James asked. Harry ran his hand through his hair and replied, "OK I think. We've got things to work out and work on but we'll be OK. We just need to get past the Council and get on with putting this behind us."

James nodded and then looked towards the doors as they swung open. The four looked at each other before Harry walked forward. Anakin gulped and followed him, with James and Lily bringing up the rear.

Mace watched the four walk into the chamber and spared at moment to hope that he and Harry could prevent Anakin's expulsion. He needed to get the rest of the Council's reaction to the story first. He blanked his expression, putting on his Jedi Councillor mask, the one that Harry hated him wearing and prepared to hear once again, the most disturbing yet heart wrenching story he'd ever heard.

Harry, Anakin, James and Lily all bowed and then waited for the debriefing to start. Yoda started the ball rolling. "Went wrong something did" he stated. The group in the centre nodded before Ki Adi said, "Tell us what happened from the beginning."

Harry started the story, and told everything that happened. He was backed up by Anakin, James and Lily. The story took half an hour to tell, given the number of interruptions by various Council members to ask clarification questions. Finally Mace spoke up.

"James, Lily you're dismissed. We wish to speak to Harry and Anakin privately now."

James and Lily bowed and left the chamber, returning to the guest apartments where Hermione, Snape and Dumbledore were, to answer their questions on what was going on. Harry and Anakin watched them leave before turning their attention back to the Council who suddenly seemed graver and more intimidating than before.

"Padawan Skywalker, committed a grave offence you have" Yoda said solemnly. Anakin nodded and answered, "I know Master Yoda, and I'm deeply sorry about it. It won't happen again."

"Why should you remain in our Order Padawan, you used the Dark Side and attacked your Master. How can we trust you when you can't control yourself" Eeth Koth asked. Anakin flinched and Harry stepped forward.

"Masters, I realize that my Padawan has done something that is unthinkable but he is still young. He will learn from this and he is sorry about what happened."

"Yes Knight Potter we are well aware of his age, but he is old enough to face the consequences for his actions" Ki Adi Mundi said firmly. Harry slowly turned to face him and stated equally firmly, "Yes but those consequences needn't involve expulsion Master Mundi. How is he supposed to become a better Jedi because of this experience if you throw him out?"

"What would you suggest then Knight Potter. I understand you want to protect your Padawan but we do have to ensure that this won't happen again."

Harry considered the question before replying, "It would not be productive for us to debate this issue with my Padawan present. We have told you what happened, and now a decision needs to be reached about what to do, however having him here while we debate the issue would not help. Let him go back home or even just outside while we come up with an answer."

The Council considered the request, while Anakin and Harry waited for their reponse. Anakin was tense and radiated nervousness, while Harry was giving him support through their bond. Finally Mace looked at the two of them and said, "Very well. Padawan Skywalker, you will return home while we discuss the issue with your master."

Anakin bowed and left, casting a worried look at Harry who nodded reassuringly at him. Just before his Padawan closed the door Harry sent a message through their bond.

_Don't worry Padawan; I won't let them expel you. If you don't want to go home go to where Hermione and Professors Snape and Dumbledore are staying. I know that they wanted to meet us again. _

_Ok Master. Do I have to tell them what happened, and what's going on now?_

_Only if you want to. I won't force you to do so and they should have enough tact to not question you if you say you're not willing to talk about it._

_Alright Master. I'll see you later then?_

_I'll come and find you and let you know the outcome._

As the doors closed behind Anakin, Harry steeled himself for the battle ahead. Master Yaddle spoke first.

"Treat this lightly we should not" she said firmly. Harry frowned and nodded. "I agree Master but by the same token we shouldn't overreact."

"Overreact? Knight Potter your Padawan murdered a camp full of beings, half of whom were women and children! How is expulsion an overreaction?"

Harry growled. "It is an overreaction when we can keep him here, and help him learn from the experience. He has taken a step off the right path; allow me the opportunity to bring him back onto it. He took the actions he did because he was overwhelmed with grief and anger due to his mother's death. I understand what he's going through and I can help him."

"How do you understand what he's going through Knight Potter?" Adi Gallia asked. The Council leaned forward, interested in the answer. Harry closed his eyes and then said, "On Earth, in the magical community, there are 3 curses that are known collectively as Unforgivables. They are the Imperius curse, the Cruciatus curse and the Killing Curse. The Imperius curse is like mind control; it gives the caster complete control of the vicitim. The Cruciatus curse is the pain curse. It causes unending, intolerable pain which can drive someone insane or kill them. The killing curse is self explanatory and it is the one that I survived as an infant. Now, the catch with these curses is the intent. You have to _want_ to control, or hurt, or kill someone in order to use them."

Eeth Koth broke in at this point. "Yes but what does this have to do with the current situation Knight Potter?" Harry frowned and replied, "I'm getting there Master, I needed to give that background so you'd understand my next statement."

When the Council member nodded and indicated he should continue, Harry did so. "When I was 15 I was tricked into going to the Ministry of Magic building by Voldemort. He had set a trap for me there, and showed up with his followers to try and kill me. My godfather and other members of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret group dedicated to fighting Voldemort showed up to rescue me. Sirius, my godfather, fought with one of Voldemort's followers and she killed him, right in front of me. I couldn't do anything to stop it, and then she taunted me about it."

Taking a deep breath Harry finished with, "I went after her. I too was consumed with grief and rage. I tried to use the Cruciatus curse on her and for a brief time it worked."

The Council was stunned. Hearing one of their best Knights admit that he'd used the Dark Side at one point in his life, and knowing that Harry wouldn't use it now, and was actually more strongly bonded to the Light because of it changed their view on what to do about Anakin.

"How brief" Yoda asked. Harry looked straight at him and said "About 2 seconds. She told me that righteous anger wouldn't work and I needed to hate in order to use it. Then she invited me to have another go. I refused."

Yoda nodded. "Similar to your situation, you believe your Padawan's is?"

"Yes Master."

The Council members looked at each other and then back at the Knight who was standing in the centre of the circle. "What do you suggest then Knight Potter?"

Harry thought. "Probation for a specific time period and leave me to handle the rest."

Mace glanced at him before replying, "We need to ensure that the Dark hasn't gained hold of Anakin. What would you say to 12 months probation and having him undergo a mind quest?"

Harry took a step back, visibly shocked. He got himself under control and then hissed back, "6 months probation and no mind quest. You don't need to invade his mind to know that he won't do this again. It would break him."

The Council considered his counter offer and then Even Piell spoke. "In situations like this the mind quest is mandatory Knight Potter. We will offer your Padawan 9 months probation if he undergoes the mind quest, and we will let you handle the rest of his punishment."

Harry eyed him warily. "What if I refuse to let him be put through that?"

Another look was exchanged and then Mace answered, his voice tinged with regret. "If you do not allow Padawan Skywalker to undergo the mind quest then he will be expelled Harry. We have to do it."

Harry closed his eyes. Let his Padawan undergo a mental invasion that could very well kill him or give him permanent brain damage, or stand by and watch him be expelled from the Order. It wasn't much of a choice.

"Mind quest and 9 months probation, plus whatever else I choose to impose?" he queried, to ensure that he understood it correctly. Mace nodded. "Yes that is correct Knight Potter."

Harry sighed. "Will I be allowed to support him while you lot rip his mind to shreds?" he asked. The Council frowned. "We will not "rip his mind to shreds" as you put it Knight Potter" Ki Adi Mundi snapped. "We will endeavor to make the search as non stressful as possible, as well as cause the minimum amount of damage. If you like you can have Master Hikari examine him after we're finished in order to assure yourself that we didn't permanently harm him."

Harry frowned and then said, "When would you want to do the mind quest?"

Mace answered the question with "As soon as possible. Tomorrow morning would suffice if you're not available today."

Harry stared his former master straight in the eye. "Tomorrow morning. And I WILL be supporting him while you do it."

"Of course Knight Potter. You can go" Adi Gallia said, giving Harry permission to leave and break the news to Anakin.

Anakin had gone straight to the guest quarters where their visitors were staying and knocked on the door before entering. He looked round briefly before sitting down on the couch. Snape and Dumbledore exchanged a look, while Hermione sat down next to him.

"How are you doing Anakin?" Hermione asked. Anakin smiled at her before replying, "OK I guess. Master Harry's just in with the Council convincing them not to expel me."

"Why would they expel you?" Snape asked. Anakin looked at him for a moment before remembering the man's history. Sighing he said, "I stuffed up on this last mission. I received a vision of my mother being hurt, and I went to save her. She'd been captured by Tusken Raiders on Tatooine, and she'd been badly hurt."

Looking away, he continued, "She died in my arms. I lost my temper and started killing every Tusken I could find. Harry arrived and tried to stop me."

Looking straight at Snape he said, "I attacked my master, and then when he was down I slaughtered the rest of the camp. I killed them all, the men, and the women and the children too."

Snape was shocked speechless as was Dumbledore and Hermione. "Now I understand why you might need defence from expulsion. How did Harry take it?" Snape finally enquired.

Anakin glared at him before replying, "Not well."

He wasn't going to elaborate on that, and he didn't have to as Harry arrived at that moment. The Knight walked through the door and sat down on the other side of Anakin before running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Hello Albus, Severus, Hermione. I'm sorry I couldn't greet you properly before but I'm here now. How was the trip?"

"The trip was fine Harry, but how are you? Things seem a bit tense at the moment" Hermione replied. Harry sighed and nodded. "Has Anakin told you the reason for that?" Seeing nods he continued, "Well, the Council has come to their decision. It's not one that I particularly agree with but I had to agree to it in order to prevent them expelling Anakin."

At that Anakin's head shot up. "I'm not expelled?" he said hopefully. Harry shook his head and smiled slightly. "No Padawan you're not expelled. However, when you hear what I had to agree to in order to stop that then I think you might reconsider."

Anakin frowned, and then looked shocked when Harry said, "They want to perform a mind quest Anakin. Apart from that they've given you 9 months probation and left the rest up to me."

Anakin shook his head. "A mind quest Master? Can they do that?"

Harry was about to answer when Dumbledore broke in. "What exactly is a mind quest Harry?" Harry looked at him and then answered, "A mind quest is where the victim – sorry, subject, is required to drop all their mental shields and let the person, or people performing the quest to see any memory at will. In effect the Council will be going through Anakin's mind to see if his brush with the Dark Side has left any permanent mark on him."

"What if it has?" Anakin asked. Harry looked at him and smiled. "It doesn't mean expulsion if that should be the case Anakin. Remember what I've been through? That has left its marks, the most prominent one being this scar" he said, lifting up his fringe.

Anakin looked somewhat happier and then asked, "Er, what else are you planning on doing?"

Harry smirked. "Give me time Padawan, I've just been busy saving you from expulsion, I need time to consider the issue."

Anakin nodded, before asking, "What time is the mind quest being performed?"

"Tomorrow morning Anakin. They said that to give you time to recover from the briefing today, and to give us all time to prepare for it."

Seeing that Anakin looked shaken at the thought of willingly giving the Council full access to his mind and not being able to repel them, or put up his shields until they were finished, Harry put his arm round Anakin's shoulders and hugged him. He let go a few minutes later and then looked at their audience, who had been politely ignoring the private moment between Master and Padawan.

"So, now you know what's been happening, do you want to know anything else?" he asked. His three visitors exchanged glances before Dumbledore said, "Actually I wanted to talk to you Harry, and so does Severus. Would that be possible?"

Harry looked at Anakin before nodding. Before he got up he said "I would advise going to Master Hikari and telling her about what the Council is planning. I want her on hand tomorrow to ensure that no damage is done. Then you can do whatever you want as long as you don't leave the Temple without informing me."

"May I visit Padme?"

"If you can find her then yes you may. It might be a good idea actually."

Anakin nodded and rose when Harry did. Before he left he turned and said, "I love you Master." Harry smiled back, a genuine smile and replied, "I love you too Anakin, now go before these two get impatient."

Anakin grinned and left, leaving Harry to face Dumbledore and Snape alone, as Hermione had left with James and Lily on a tour of the Temple. Harry met Dumbledore's and Snape's gazes evenly, not giving anything away. After a few minutes the staring match stopped and then Dumbledore asked, "Can we go on a tour while we have this discussion?"

"As long as privacy shields are up so no one can overhear us if you want to discuss what I think you want to" Harry replied. His two guests consented to the terms so Harry led them on a tour of his home.

While they were walking down the corridor with a modified privacy shield in place so that people could see that they were talking but wouldn't remember what the subject was, the mini interrogation started.

"It would seem that you had an eventful time on Tatooine Harry" Dumbledore started. Harry glanced at his old mentor and then shrugged. "Yes we did. Is there something specific you wanted to know about it or are you on a fishing expedition?"

"We wanted to know if the situation was as serious as Anakin made it out to be Harry" Snape said from his other side. Harry looked at him and then replied, "It could hardly have been less serious Severus, you heard what I told Anakin about the Council meeting. The only reason I'm allowing the mind quest tomorrow is because it was the only way to save him from expulsion."

Snape nodded before asking another question, followed by Dumbledore asking a question of his own. Slowly they drew the story out of him, including his own reaction to what had happened.

"Grief is a dangerous thing Harry, you ought to know that better than anyone" Dumbledore said calmly. Harry stopped and turned to face the old wizard, his eyes bright with restrained anger. "I know that Albus. There's nothing that can be done now though apart from get through tomorrow morning with as little trauma as possible."

He walked off, and noticed that his companions weren't with him when he was halfway down the corridor. Growling he called, "Come on." Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other and mutually agreed to drop the subject, concentrating instead on the tour that Harry was giving them.

The next morning, the Council convened early to deal with the distressing matter of Anakin Skywalker. Harry walked into the chamber with Anakin following quietly behind him. They stopped in the centre and bowed. Hikari had followed them and was now standing in a corner, keeping her eyes and senses trained on what was going on.

Anakin had knelt in the middle of the circle, following the logic that if he fainted or anything like that then he wouldn't have as far to fall. Harry stood behind him, knees bent slightly so his hands could rest lightly on his Padawan's shoulders.

Mace looked at Ki Adi who was an expert at mental probing, who gave a slight nod, indicating that he was ready. Mace looked round the rest of the circle, seeing nods from the rest of the members. He then looked at the Master/Padawan pair in the middle, who looked resigned (Harry) and slightly worried (Anakin).

"We're convened today to perform a mind quest on Padawan Anakin Skywalker in response to his use of the Dark Side in his most recent mission. Supporting him is his master, Knight Harry James Potter. Also in attendance is Master Mind Healer Hikari."

Looking straight at Anakin Mace continued, "Padawan Skywalker, at the start of this mind quest you will be required to drop your mental shields and then keep them down for the duration. Should you raise your shields at any time we will break them down and continue. Your master will help you keep them down if necessary. We will be looking at your memories however your thoughts will still be private. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Anakin swallowed, this all seemed so intimidating and threatening to him, but he felt Harry's hands tighten minutely on his shoulders and felt a wave of comfort from his master. That enabled him to meet Mace's eyes and reply, "Yes Master I understand. Will it take long?"

"It will take as long as necessary Padawan Skywalker, you are not allowed to leave until we're finished" Yarael Poof said sharply. Anakin drew back slightly and Harry tensed behind him. Yarael noticed this and spoke a bit more gently when he said, "We won't do any damage Padawan, your master has already threatened to dismember us if that happens."

Anakin twisted to look up at Harry who looked back down, a small smile on his face. He hadn't actually threatened to dismember the Council members but the small fib helped to break the growing tension in the room. Yoda coughed to draw their attention.

"Begin we will" he said. Anakin stiffened, and Harry tried to help him past the momentary fear he sensed coming from his apprentice. The Council also sensed the fear and held off for a second to give Harry time to calm Anakin down. Although the search had to be done they weren't heartless and they knew it was a disorientating and frightening process for the subject. When Anakin was as calm as he was going to get Mace leaned forward.

"Padawan Skywalker you will drop your shields now" he said formally. Anakin took a deep breath and, with some help from Harry, lowered his shields and allowed the collective mind of the Council into his memories.

Harry closed his eyes, his mental presence joining Anakin's as they felt the Council enter Anakin's mind. Anakin started to panic when they drew near his memories of Padme but Harry calmed him.

_Relax Anakin; they're not going to care about that. They're searching for darkness not anything else. There's no darkness in those memories, they won't examine them._

_This is really hard Master, I'm scared._

_I know, Padawan I know, just stay calm though. This should be over soon. Just stay with me OK._

The Council searched Anakin's memories thoroughly. They noticed the growing love between Anakin and Padme but figured that Harry was keeping an eye on that, plus there was no darkness in it so left it alone. They were interested in Anakin's visions about his mother prior to her death, and also the actual Tatooine happenings. Another set of memories that they focused on was his childhood, where they found anger and resentment of his status, but also love and caring for his friends and his mother, and later on, for Harry. Digging deeper they found no permanent root of darkness in the Padawan, and concluded that what happened had been a tragic mistake, regrettable but not one that would cause them to label Anakin as irredeemable.

Withdrawing, they opened their eyes, to find that Anakin had collapsed due to the withdrawal. The Padawan was on the floor, with Harry supporting his shoulders and head. Anakin was conscious, but weak from the shock of the mental probing. Harry steadied his apprentice and helped him up from the floor. With one arm firmly round his shoulders, Harry supported Anakin and stared challengingly at the Council.

"Well, did you find anything that would label my Padawan as irredeemable?" he asked. The Council shook their heads before Mace replied, "No Knight Potter we did not." He looked at Anakin and said gently, "Padawan Skywalker, you may raise your shields now." Anakin lost no time in putting his shields back up again, while the Council deliberated on what to say to the pair that they had put through that ordeal.

"Knight Potter, Padawan Skywalker, we found no evidence of darkness. What happened on Tatooine was regrettable, and we hope that it doesn't happen again. Knight Potter, make sure that your Padawan learns from this mistake, and Padawan Skywalker, please do learn from this so we don't have to go through this again. You are both dismissed."

Harry and Anakin bowed and left the room, passing Hikari on the way out, who nodded to the Council and then followed them. The trio walked to Hikari's office in silence. The mind healer offered her guests some tea and then sat down watching both Master and Padawan intently.

"I can tell you that they did no damage whatsoever" she started. "I was watching carefully and they only looked around, they didn't try anything. The only reason Anakin collapsed was because they withdrew suddenly, rather than gradually."

"So he's OK then" Harry asked. Hikari nodded. "Physically yes. Emotionally it will take time for him to recover." Harry nodded before turning to Anakin.

"You OK Padawan?" he asked. Anakin nodded. "I think so. I just didn't like letting them in like that, it felt funny having them moving round my mind like that." Harry nodded sympathetically, knowing the feeling all too well.

"I know Padawan. I didn't like it much myself when Snape did it to me."

Hikari stood. "I'll leave you two alone, I have no appointments today so I'll leave you to use this office as long as you need to."

"Thank you" Harry nodded as the mind healer left. There was silence in the office for a few minutes before Anakin spoke.

"Master, have you decided what to do with me now that the Council has given their opinion?" the Padawan asked. Harry sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're already on probation for the next nine months Padawan. I was thinking last night about what to add on without completely going over the top. I had to consider the state of the galaxy as if this unrest turns into war then I'll need you with me. I also had to consider what had already happened and I came up with the following:"

Turning to look his Padawan squarely in the eyes, Harry said, "For the next nine months you will stay with me when we're on missions. You won't be allowed to go on solo missions and you will have to clear any decision regarding a mission with me. You will also be going through the emotion control exercises that you went through when you were 12 again. Particularly the anger management ones. We will also be sparring every day, with you using your emotions rather than repressing them. The main reason you were able to wound me on Tatooine was because I was reluctant to fight back. In our sparring matches that will not be an issue. I want you to be able to use your emotions in a fight without losing control of either them or yourself."

Anakin nodded silently, he was relieved that Harry was being relatively lenient. The having to clear mission decisions was a bit humiliating, as was the no solo missions, but the one thing he was worried about was the emotional control exercises. Those had been the hardest ones for him to deal with when he was younger and he dreaded having to retake them. Finally he asked, "Is there anything else Master?"

Harry looked at him levelly. "You will also be working with both Master Sora and myself to work through the guilt that this whole event has brought up, and you will be studying the effects that using the Dark Side has on a Jedi and the dangers of using it. I will expect a report on that topic by the time your probation is up so you have time to thoroughly research it."

Anakin nodded and leant back against the seat, relaxing fully and moving his neck from side to side to loosen the tense muscles across his shoulders. He then sat forward and dropped his head in his hands.

"I really screwed up didn't I?" he muttered. Harry placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "You made a mistake Padawan, a big mistake true, but a mistake nonetheless. You've already apologised for it, now you need to accept the consequences and do the hardest thing in the world."

"What's that?" Anakin asked, his voice muffled. Harry smiled and rubbed his hand on his apprentice's shoulder in a small circle. His answer consisted of two words.

"Forgive yourself."

Anakin looked up. "How can I forgive myself when you haven't?" he queried. Harry shook his head. "I have forgiven you Anakin. What you'll be doing over the next nine months is regaining my trust. You screwed up on the mission, which is why I've imposed those restrictions regarding missions over the next nine months, and your emotional control went to hell so you're going to relearn how to control them. You're going to spar with me so you don't always think that fighting me in a lightsaber duel is a bad thing, and you're going to examine what happened with Master Sora and me, and do that research. All that's left is to forgive yourself and move on which you'll hopefully do over the course of your probation."

Anakin nodded. His master had been very clever. The restrictions imposed could be seen as a punishment, and indeed they were, but they were all chosen to address key areas which Anakin had dropped the ball on, combined with allowing Anakin to find out why using the Dark Side was so frowned upon for a Jedi. It was very clever and very appropriate.

Harry stood and stretched, working the kinks out of his back. He then offered a hand to Anakin who took it and stood as well. Wrapping an arm round his apprentice's shoulders Harry steered them out of the office and down the hall, heading home.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: Important Ceremonies and Reflections**

It was now four years later and the 23 year old Anakin Skywalker was in the waiting room outside the Council Chamber pacing nervously. He didn't know why he'd been summoned here, only that Harry had been gone when he'd woken up and had been in the Council chamber all morning.

The door swung open, and Anakin walked inside seeing the Council sitting in its customary circle, with Harry in the middle, waiting for him. Around the edges of the chamber stood James, Lily, Jett, Ryan, and Ginny. Anakin walked over to his master and bowed to the Council before straightening up and waiting to be told what was going on.

To his immense surprise, Harry moved so he was behind him and then said, "Kneel Padawan."

Anakin knelt obediently, wondering what was going on. He found out a minute later when Mace stood up. "Knight Potter, do you still stand by your recommendation?"

Harry looked at Mace evenly before replying, "Yes Master Windu I do. Anakin is ready." Mace nodded, before turning to Anakin.

"Padawan Skywalker, over the past few months you have performed admirably in several conflicts that you've helped to resolve. Also you have worked hard to learn to control your emotions and overcome your weaknesses. Your master has recommended you for Knighthood and the Council has agreed to his request. Therefore, it gives us great pleasure to confer on you the rank of Jedi Knight, once you have sworn your Oath on the Jedi Code."

Anakin was now thoroughly shocked; he'd known that you could go round the Trials, as it were, if you did something especially heroic or brave. He hadn't thought that that would apply to him though. Evidently he'd been wrong.

Bowing his head, he swore his oath to the Jedi Order. Following in his master's footsteps he used the old code, given his plans for marrying Padme. The two had been secretly engaged since Anakin was 21 but had agreed to not marry until Anakin was Knighted. The only other person in on the secret was Harry, who had no problem keeping it. The Oath was given, and the Council was impressed, he'd come a long way from the troubled 19 year old hothead he had been. Under Harry's careful supervision, Anakin had matured into a Jedi that had intense emotions, but equally intense control of said emotions. Now all that was left was to cut his braid and dissolve the bond and Anakin would be a Knight.

The braid was easily dealt with, Harry's lightsaber cutting through it in seconds. The bond was harder, as both Anakin and Harry were reluctant to lose it. Finally though, Harry dissolved the bond and then stepped back.

Mace stepped forward again, and said, "Rise Knight Skywalker and take your place as a Knight of the Jedi Order." He didn't say anything else as a huge cheer rocked the room and Anakin turned to see his friends and family cheering for him. He automatically searched out Harry to find the elder Knight looking at him with love and pride shining from his eyes. Anakin had to almost shield himself from the bright shine in the green eyes that were fixed on him.

Harry moved over to the new Knight and wrapped him in a hug. "Well done Anakin, very well done" he whispered in Anakin's ear, before releasing him. As Mace had done on the day of his Knighting, Harry yelled out "Party at my place" before standing back to let the group of well wishers surround his former Padawan.

Mace walked over to Harry and stood beside him. "Well done to you too Harry, you've trained him well. He's a Knight that any Master would be proud to have taught. Why are you so glum?"

Harry laughed before replying, "I just realized that I won't be able to sense him in my mind anymore, and after almost 15 years that's a bit of an adjustment to make. I am proud of him Mace; I just worry about him being out on his own, especially given the state of the galaxy at the moment."

"So do all Masters that have just Knighted their Padawans. You have to have faith that he will choose the right path Harry. Have faith and everything will turn out alright."

Harry nodded and then led the group to his and Anakin's apartment for a party that lasted all night.

Two weeks later Anakin again found himself outside the Council chamber, only this time he wasn't waiting to enter and he had yet another crowd of people waiting with him. After half an hour the door silently opened and an exhausted Harry Potter stepped out, being supported by Mace and Adi. Anakin hurriedly made room for his former master on the bench next to him and looked at him anxiously.

"Well, did it go alright? What was the result?" the Knight questioned. Harry gave his former Padawan a tired smile and replied, "You're looking at the Order's newest Jedi Master."

That did it, the crowd, which consisted of James, Lily, Ginny, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and several other Knights and Masters cheered and whooped at Harry's ascension to the highest rank of the Order.

Mace grinned and then said, "Is it going to be this noisy when he becomes a Jedi Councillor?" He was interrupted by Harry's disgusted exclamation of "NO! I prefer being out in the field to being engaged in politics. I'm perfectly happy staying as I am right now thanks. You guys do a good enough job on your own. I'd argue all the time."

Muffled chuckles ran round the group as they acknowledged the truth of Harry's words. Harry then started patting his robe pockets, searching for something, something important if the slightly hurried movements and worried mutters of "Where is it, where is it?" were anything to go by. Finally he found it and pulled it out, palming it so no one could see it.

"Where's Ginny?" he asked. Ginny came forward, only to stop in surprise as Harry fell off the seat and onto one knee on the floor. Her Healer instincts kicked in and she began to help him up only to have Harry shake his head, and Lily pull her back a bit. Confused, Ginny stared at Harry, only to have her breath stolen away when Harry pulled out a small box.

Although their love had grown over the years, Harry's duties as a Jedi and hers as a Healer had limited their time together and she had thought that he wouldn't do this. She stared into Harry's eyes, and didn't even give the poor Jedi Master time to voice the question before she tugged him up and almost crushed his ribcage as she said, "YES" at the top of her lungs.

Another round of chuckles erupted as Harry peeled his new fiancé off his chest and checked his ribs for any injuries. Finding none he looked at the Council with a questioning look. The Council members looked at each other and shrugged, before giving permission for them to marry.

Three weeks after Harry's ascension to Jedi Mastership and his proposal to Ginny, the Jedi Temple saw a rare event, a double wedding as Anakin had promptly "officially" proprosed to Padme when the Council had given permission for the single wedding to turn into a double one upon Anakin's admission of his love for the Senator. Padme had been delighted by his proposal and had agreed to the double wedding as soon as she found out who the other couple was.

The brides looked stunning and Harry and Anakin had trouble keeping their minds on their wedding vows rather than their brides' appearances, but they got through it alright. The honeymoons were brief given the war that was raging in the galaxy but still special. The Weasley family had made the trip from Earth especially for the wedding and Harry and Ginny promised to drop by to show off any children they might have.

The day after the honeymoons ended, Anakin, Harry, Ginny and Padme could be found standing on the balcony near the Council chamber looking out at the war torn visage of Coruscant. For a brief moment Harry fancied he could see a dark cloud stretching out from the Senate, getting nearer and nearer to the Temple. He blinked and shook his head, and when he looked back the cloud was gone. In his interrogation Dooku hadn't given up the name of his Sith master but had said that the Senate was under the control of a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious. The Jedi Council weren't sure whether to believe him or not but Harry certainly did. He had kept a closer eye than ever on Chancellor Palpatine since then but still could not find any evidence of wrongdoing, other than the persistent itching of his scar whenever Harry was around the man. The clone army that Obi-Wan had discovered on Kamino was in full use even though the Senate still had the power to decide where to send them. The Chancellor had made a bid for gaining emergency power but had been firmly voted down by Padme and the other Loyalists.

Anakin shifted restlessly against the railing, preparing to leave to get some sleep before he left for his mission to the Outer Rim sieges with Obi-Wan the next day. Placing an arm round Padme's shoulders he turned to his companion and said, "One thing's for sure Harry; the next few months are going to be interesting." Harry nodded and replied, "Yes they are Anakin, yes they most certainly are."

**THE END**


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